WHO ARE YOU Challenge the Second
by WHO ARE YOU challenge
Summary: A writing experiment to see whether writing can be recognized without any indication of penname/identity. Follow up to last year's WAY Challenge. Features writing by long-lost TwotoTenth, ArmyAFC, Ne71, KateMcK, TakeItTo22, Mystlynx, Zerectica and etc..
1. Hello!

**The WHO ARE YOU Challenge the Second**

_Disclaimer:_

The Chuck characters in these stories are borrowed/stolen/kidnapped/bribed. The fics here also belong to their individual authors.

_'Foreword':_

Thank you so much guys for your contributions and enthusiasm and I couldn't have done it (literally) without you. Although the participants are different this year, I'm pleased to say that you guys are just as good as the group last year. For the people who weren't able to email me anything, (Liam2, crystal, Mikki in particular, minirix :-P)- I totally understand and hope you can do it next year.

_Authors of '10:_

TwotoTenth

chasingfireflies

Zerectica

mxpw

Just Chuck,

Ne71,

SaraLisaWalkerFan101

Chuckfan56

BDaddyDL

P.J. Murphy

Madje Knotts

Mystlynx

ArmySFC

AwesomeMJay

KateMcK

Tynianrex

TakeItTo22

atlee

I hope you enjoy reading through the stories and making your guesses. Please try to review the entries because authors really appreciate feedback- but without mentioning any names of course. **Anyone can submit guesses.**

During the guessing period, **please don't reveal your guesses** to other people but of course; feel free to discuss writer styles etc on the board. Traitors will be thrown from the highest building FL can find (which is not at all high as she is in NZ).

Guessing: Match up the letters with specific authors and PM them to WHO ARE YOU Challenge (this penname). You are also encouraged to choose two favourite entries to nominate for "People's Choice".

**PART TWO- The last eight entries will be uploaded tomorrow. I have them ready, just didn't want to overwhelm you ;-)**

Without any further annoying, long-winded blabber from me, enjoy! :)

* * *

.net/u/2098131/WHO_ARE_YOU_challenge - profile

.net/topic/49974/19023805/23/ - discussion board


	2. Dedication

_For Susie's Dad_

_2010_


	3. Entry A

**ENTRY A**

* * *

Sometimes, being a spy sucked.

Oh he'd known this true, but often annoying fact, for quite some time. Because of being a spy, he'd nearly lost Sarah and had lost his father. His family and friends had frequently been put in peril. His own life was regularly in danger. He was forced to lie to his sister. He couldn't really go on vacations and rarely got a day off.

In short, it was kind of crappy. Most days, he wasn't really sure why he apparently liked being a spy so much.

That wasn't to say there wasn't a good side to being a spy. In fact, the one plus that made up for all the negatives, was currently standing right next to him. Being a spy meant getting to work with Sarah. It meant being her partner. It meant he got to see her every day and not have to sit at home for months at a time while she traveled the world without him.

Being with Sarah was a hell of an upside if you asked him.

Still, there were some days where being a spy just really, really sucked. So much so that even getting to work with Sarah didn't seem to be worth it. And of course, one of those days just had to be today.

Really, who wanted to spend their day shooting Santa Claus?

"I make out ten of them," Casey said, low under his breath.

"I saw at least twelve when I did my pass," Sarah added.

At least twelve. Wonderful. Just what he needed.

It was like some kind of perverted form of the "Twelve Days of Christmas." What could he expect next, instead of two turtle doves, two frag grenades? He half expected to see Santa walking around with a T.O.W. missile.

This was supposed to be his day off. He was going to use it to do the last of his Christmas shopping. He still needed to get Sarah one of her gifts, a minor fact that he had done his best not to let her find out about, but of course the spy life had encroached upon him, even here.

He had been in a jewelry store at the Grove, looking at both engagement rings (not his gift, but there was no harm in looking) and charms for her bracelet. He was just about to ask one of the saleswomen if he could take a look at a particularly fetching ring that had caught his eye, when he had seen the reflection of a man dressed in a Santa suit walk by the store. He must have seen something interesting, because the flash hit him like a slap to the face.

By the time he had recovered, Santa was out of view, and he had to rush out of the store in search of the man known only in the Intersect as the Kringle Bandit.

You wouldn't think it'd be all that hard to find a man dressed in a bright red, velvet suit, but Chuck could see the man nowhere. So he had done the only thing he could: he called Sarah.

He had left the mall to wait for Sarah and Casey to arrive, and in that time, the Santas attacked.

In broad daylight.

It had taken what seemed like hours for the screaming horde of holiday shoppers to vacate the mall. He had tried to move back into the open-aired mall to see what was going on, but it would have been like trying to swim against a tsunami. Eventually, he had had to duck into a J. Crew and wait for the crowd to disperse. Once they had, he had stealthily left the store, barely avoiding detection by a slovenly Santa carrying an AK-47, and moved north up Bow Street.

He was more than a little perturbed. To ruin his day off was bad enough, but now the spy life was potentially threatening his first Christmas with Sarah as a couple. He didn't want anything to screw it up, and not being able to get her the kind of gift she deserved, would definitely constitute a screw-up in his books.

"Stupid Santa," he had muttered under his breath as he had made his way to the parking structure.

He could not believe the audacity of the Kringle Bandit and his crew of malevolent Santas.

The whole time he waited for Sarah and Casey, he had imagined the many different ways the day could get worse.

He should have known better.

Because it got worse.

The Santas were not alone.

There were apparently roving teams of angry elves patrolling the mall grounds, keeping anybody from getting too close and figuring out what the Kringle Bandit was up to.

It had to all be a big joke. There was no way this could actually be happening.

"So what do you want to do with the elves?"

"Obviously we're going to have to neutralize them somehow. They've set up a pretty tight perimeter."

If only the Kringle Bandit didn't allegedly have contacts with suspected insurgents in Iraq (he had no idea _how_ the man could possibly have such contacts, after all, he dressed up as Santa Claus and robbed malls, but who was he to argue with the Intersect?), then he knew Team Bartowski wouldn't even have to be here. They could have handed things over to L.A. SWAT and let them deal with the problem.

"We could always shoot them," Casey added helpfully.

"I'm pretty sure shooting Santa and his little helpers gets you on the 'Naughty' list, Casey!"

Casey just rolled his eyes. "Relax, Bartowski, I already talked to the General and she expressly warned me that she doesn't want a repeat of the Mall of America disaster of Christmas'02." He scowled and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. "We'll use tranqs."

"That's great," he said and then made a sweeping motion with his arm. "Maybe you'll tell them that?"

All around them was a small army of L.A.'s finest. Team Bartowski were pretending to be FBI agents and had assumed command of the situation from the local LAPD commander. There had been a fair amount of grumbling on their part, but a couple well placed grunts from Casey, and all jurisdictional disputes were quickly settled. Now they were just waiting on Casey and Sarah's order to go.

Casey just shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I guess we'll just have to make sure the vultures," and he nodded in the direction of another small army of reporters, "don't get any good shots of Santa being carted away in a body bag."

"Merry Christmas," Chuck mumbled under his breath and adjusted his gear for the fourth time.

Stupid Santa.

"What were you doing here anyway," Sarah asked.

He looked up from his tactical vest and tried his best to play it casual. "Oh you know, just doing a little last minute Christmas shopping."

Sarah frowned, her brows scrunching up cutely. "But you told me you finished your shopping last week."

He nodded his head vigorously. "Yeah, yeah, I just remembered I wanted to pick something else up for Morgan."

"But there are no video game stores here." Sarah narrowed her eyes. "You're not buying me another present, are you?"

"What? Pshaw! No, of course not."

Sarah rolled her eyes and then sighed. "Chuck, you already bought me two presents. I told you I don't need that much." Her features softened and she placed her hand on his arm. She leaned close and kissed him quickly on the lips, just a soft brushing against his mouth, and then she pulled back to lock eyes with him. "Really. I only need you, okay?"

He nodded and smiled hesitantly. Sure Sarah said that and he believed her, he really did, but damn it, he wanted to get her something more anyway. He was just so happy and felt so lucky that they were finally together and he wanted to show her that. He had a whole extravaganza planned for this Christmas and he was going to do his damndest to make sure everything went off without a hitch.

Stupid Santa.

Sarah let out a little laugh and shook her head. "You're not going to listen to me, are you?"

"Uh," he just said.

She grinned, and then leaned forward and kissed him again, this time a little longer. It was enough to make him feel a little lightheaded. "We'll talk more about this later, but come on, we should go before Casey gets antsy and starts shooting the reindeer."

"Wait, there's reindeer?"

Of course there was reindeer. How could he have missed that?

The day kept getting worse and worse.

* * *

He really needed to learn to stop thinking.

It was the only explanation for the current situation. He was in some strange _Twilight Zone_ episode where whatever you thought became reality. That was the only thing that could explain why two elves—that looked more like hobbits—riding on a reindeer, and the man known as the Kringle Bandit, were currently holding Sarah and himself hostage.

He had imagined things getting worse; he couldn't help it, it was just his nature and it had popped into his head like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Not five minutes later, Sarah and he were surrounded.

This was just not his day, he decided.

Sarah, meanwhile, was trying to talk the Kringle Bandit down from doing anything rash. "I don't know what you hoped to accomplish here, but as you can hear," she paused to let the sounds of random gunfire and yelling and screaming and reindeer neighing (did reindeer neigh?) fill the air before continuing, "your associates are being arrested as we speak. It's best for you to turn yourself in."

The Kringle Bandti, on the other hand, clearly had other ideas and leered rather obviously at Sarah. "You know what," he said with a slight drawl to his words, "you'd make a good entry on my 'Naughty' list. Ho ho ho."

"Excuse me," he said. He raised his hand and got the other man's attention. "I'd rather you not sully my good memories of Santa by turning him into a perverted douche. Also, that was totally cliché. Okay, thanks."

He noticed Sarah glaring at him out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to just stand there and let some creep that had totally ruined his day make those kinds of comments about his girlfriend.

He knew Sarah could look after herself and it wasn't even really about that. He had meant what he said; he didn't need his childhood memories being tainted.

Stupid Santa.

The Kringle Bandit just laughed and then stepped back to converse quietly with his two compatriots.

He used the opportunity to turn to Sarah and cock an eyebrow. She shook her head but had a faint smile. She sidled up to him then and whispered, "Thank you for sticking up for me, but I'd much rather you not anger the guy with the gun."

"Sarah!" he hissed. "He's ruining Christmas!"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Relax. Casey's got everything under control."

He blinked in surprise. "He does?"

Sarah smiled with what he interpreted as encouragement and then bumped his shoulder with hers. "He does."

The Kringle Bandit was still in converse with his two elves and so Sarah obviously felt like she was free to talk. "So what were you going to buy me?"

He frowned. "Uh, not that I am confirming I was going to buy you anything, but if I were planning to do so, I definitely wouldn't tell you."

She narrowed her eyes. "You better not be buying me more jewelry. You've probably spent too much already."

His own eyes widened in response. "You promised not to use your super spy skills to figure out your presents!"

Sarah just rolled her eyes. "It's pretty obvious what you got me, Chuck. You should have put it in a bigger box."

Chuck nearly buried his face in his hands. He loved Sarah but she could suck all the fun out of gift giving. She was too much spy for her own good sometimes. She could have at least pretended that she didn't know what he'd gotten her. That's what most people would have done.

Suddenly, a bullhorn screeched and then Casey's voice came booming through the air. "Hey you, on the reindeer! Surrender now and drop your weapons! We have you surrounded."

He sighed in relief at hearing Casey's voice. Sarah was right, Casey was on top of things. Soon, his long shopping nightmare would be over. He was so ordering everything online next year.

The Kringle Bandit sprung into action, grabbing Sarah and sticking a gun to her head. Sarah barely reacted, not like he would have in her place, but then that was one of the reasons why he loved her. Cool under pressure, that was his girl.

"You realize, of course, that you'll never get away with this, don't you?"

The Kringle Bandit just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because I've never heard that one before."

"No, seriously, she's right," he added helpfully. "The guy on the bullhorn? Known as the office Grinch. He'd have no problem shooting Santa." He lowered his voice some, afraid Casey might overhear and said, "Not hugged much as a child, you understand."

As if to further his point, a red dot suddenly appeared on the reindeer's nose. Chuck saw it and immediately chuckled. "Hey look, it's Rudolph."

The Kringle Bandit's eyes widened and he tightened his grip on Sarah. "You tell your guy to not even try it. You'll both be dead before he gets me and my men."

"Ooooor, you could just surrender, we'll have some milk and cookies, and everybody goes home alive."

"Yeah, I'm gonna pass on that," the Kringle Bandit said.

He frowned at that. He shut his eyes and figured what the hell, so far it had worked, why not now? He was owed some good luck after this day. So he thought really hard about what he wanted to happen, and a few seconds later, he opened his eyes.

Sarah was brushing off her clothes while staring down at the Kringle Bandit lying still on the ground. With disdain she toed the man with her boot and then flashed him a brilliant grin. He swung his head around to check on the elves and noticed not only were they lying on the ground, but the reindeer also was asleep.

Huh, looked like Casey had used tranqs after all.

Wow, he couldn't believe that really worked. He wondered what else he could make come true…

He shut his eyes again and imagined Sarah in the lingerie she had worn last night. When he opened his eyes again, she was still wearing all her previous clothes. He felt a brief pang of disappointment, but shrugged his shoulders. She was still gorgeous as always.

"It's a Christmas miracle," he said drily to Sarah.

She continued to grin even as he walked over to her. She grabbed the front of his vest and pulled him close, kissing him hard. He was surprised but quickly returned her passion.

"What was that for?" he asked when they broke apart, both breathing heavily.

"I'm just happy you're okay."

"I'm okay? He had the gun pointed at _your_ head."

She just grinned and then kissed him again, shorter and softer. "Come on, we should go meet up with Casey and start the clean up." She grabbed his hand and they started walking away from the sleeping mall bandits. He never did learn what the Kringle Bandit was doing there, but he didn't really care at the moment.

Stupid Santa.

"Then we're going to talk about you still buying me gifts even after I've repeatedly asked you not to."

Uh-oh. He knew that tone.

"But, Sarah—"

She cut him off. "I already told you last night what you could give me." Her voice was low and throaty, clearly meant to entice and seduce.

It was more than doing its job.

He just grinned stupidly as they walked, Sarah still whispering into his ear all the things they could do together this Christmas.

So, okay, it looked like his Christmas extravaganza was going to need to include more whipped cream.

Damn it, that meant he was going to have to go shopping.


	4. Entry B

**ENTRY B**

_Another Day in the Life of a Spy_**

* * *

**

_Christmas Eve, 11 PM, 50 miles outside Bogota_

"Do we have a deal?"

The two men eyed each other, mistrust mirrored in each other's gaze. The second man studied the suitcase, its contents now visible in the dim light of the overhead lamp. He picked up one of the packs of bills, and flipped through it quickly. Finally, satisfied, he nodded.

"We have a deal."

The first man sighed in relief. His business partner, seeing this, smiled. "Nervous about the transaction, Senor Jackson?"

"No, no. Just glad we could come to terms, Senor Rosa."

"Well, rest assured, we will get you everything you want. All as fine in quality as what you just inspected." Rosa motioned over to a second suitcase at the other end of the table.

"Now," he said, turning back to Jackson, "I believe it is time to celebrate. It is, after all, Christmas." Rosa clapped, and a handful of other men appeared, all of whom looking as if they'd seen the wrong end of the last few years. One of them carried a bottle of expensive whiskey, however, while the other carried several glasses.

Jackson glanced around the room. Prior to the completion of the deal, he hadn't really examined his surroundings. Now, however, he could see that there was a small tree in the corner, struggling under the weight of a few stray ornaments. A few strings of lights lined the walls. He wasn't sure how we would have felt more or less intimidated had he seen them earlier.

"Now we can celebrate." Rosa snapped his fingers, and the glasses were filled. Jackson took a glass gratefully and held it up.

"Cheers. And Merry Christmas."

"Ah yes. That reminds me." He turned to one of his underlings. "Bring in the entertainment."

A moment later, one of the men returned to the room. He was accompanied by a young woman, dressed as what could only be described as one of Santa's elves, if Hugh Hefner had taken over the role of Santa Claus. The tight red vest she was wearing left little to the imagination. The red fur skirt barely made it halfway to her knee, leaving a large amount of leg exposed until a pair of red and white stockings appeared. A small knit Santa's cap was perched over her red hair. She glanced around the room, pausing briefly to flash him a quick smile.

"Hello, boys."

"Entertainment?" Jackson asked, barely noticing the slight crack in his voice. "Uh, exactly what kind of entertainment do you mean?"

"Oh I'll do anything you want, sugar," the woman cooed. "But how about some music first to set the mood?"

It took a few seconds for one of Rosa's men to finally blink, and scurry off to the back of the room. He eventually returned with an ancient boombox.

"_Frosty the Snowman, was a jolly happy soul…"_

The woman gave Rosa an amused look. The man shrugged. "It's Carlos's tape."

With that, the woman began to dance slowly around the room. Jackson wasn't exactly an innocent, but he could feel himself blushing. He watched her with rapt attention, and his heart rate would kick into high gear whenever her eyes would occasionally meet his. He felt a rush of jealousy as soon as her eyes left his.

After a while, she began to move more quickly. Rosa's men stood there, watching her. Even Rosa himself, who'd presumably seen more than his fair share of beautiful women, seemed entranced.

Jackson wasn't sure exactly what it was that brought him back to his senses. Maybe it was the way that she looked around the room, too quick for someone merely trying to keep everyone's attention. She had also stopped circling the room, and seemed to be hovering near the second suitcase. He was about to say something, but then she shimmied up to one of the guards in a none-too-subtle manner. That shifted into an even less open-handed chop to the guard's neck.

Two other men were down before everyone else had caught on to what was happening. The woman easily ducked down to avoid the gunshots from the most alert of Rosa's henchmen. Jackson watched her dive under the table, then grab the arm of one of the remaining guards just as he fired again. The bullet hit the last of Rosa's men, and a moment later only Jackson and Rosa himself remained standing.

Rosa had grabbed the money-filled suitcase, and was heading for the door. The woman looked over at the boombox, which was still warbling on about magic snowmen. She yanked the cord out, and hurled the box at Rosa. It hit him in the back of the head, sending him into the floor.

The mysterious woman turned her eyes toward Jackson. He slowly backed away, but she moved too quickly, and a moment later, he was on his back, with a boot on his chest. "Who are you?" he gasped.

"I'm DEA. And the US Government would prefer if you didn't bring those drugs into our country."

"You're DEA?" Jackson asked in surprise. "You people don't take Christmas off?"

"Why should we? You didn't."

"Seriously?" Jackson wasn't sure why he said this. He supposed he wasn't good in crisis situations, and really there wasn't much else to do at the moment other than make conversation. Apparently, having the world's sexiest DEA agent in an elf outfit glare down at you with murderous intent does that to you.

"Not really. What else am I going to do? Sit around, sing Christmas carols, and drink eggnog? No thank you."

"Well, you might enjoy Christmas shopping. That can get pretty…violent."

The woman thought about this for a second. "Nah. I'd just feel obligated to get them something the next year, not to mention sending cards, and I'd have to worry about inviting them to Christmas parties, and all that. This is much more satistfying."

The woman pulled Jackson to his feet, and the last thing he remembered was seeing some non-Christmas stars.

* * *

_Christmas Eve, 4 AM, Monte Carlo_

Agent Alex Forrest awoke to the sound of off-key singing. She recognized the strains of a familiar Christmas Carol, though as far as she could tell the lyrics weren't correct in any of the seven languages she was fluent in. Clearly the carolers had been drinking.

As she pushed herself out of bed, she remembered that they weren't the only ones. Judging from the pounding in her head, a hangover was well on her way. The moan coming from the bed, however, wasn't coming from her head. "Oh crap," she grumbled to herself.

She turned on the bedside lamp, and her companion for the night stirred. In the harsh light of the hotel room's fluorescent bulb, she was struck at how _old_ her new acquaintance was.

"Wake up," she said stiffly after she had gathered her clothes from the room.

The man stirred, opened his eyes, and gave Forrest a sly smile. "Well. Merry Christmas."

"Right," Forrest said, as she looked around for her shoes.

The man got up, and headed to the mini-bar. To Forrest's chagrin, he didn't seem to feel the need to find his clothes. She briefly paused to watch him make a martini. "Not really Christmas-sy, is it?" she pointed to the glass when he had finished.

"Hmm?" the man shrugged. Looking around the room, he found a candy cane that the hotel staff had left in the room, and plopped it into the martini. "There."

Forrest shook her head. She still felt foggy, but she had a flight in a few hours, and she didn't want to dwell on her recent mistake.

"So, how long have you been a spy?"

Forrest looked over in surprise. The man had returned to the bed, and was sipping from the martini while giving her an inquisitive glance.

"How did you know…"

"Oh, please. First of all, we're in Monte Carlo, the Daytona Beach of spies. Second, nobody does vulnerable during the holidays like a spy. Believe me, I've seen it for years. And third, you practically have CIA written all over you."

"NSA, actually."

"Ah, NSA." The man pronounced the name as if he was tasting it, and deciding whether he liked it or not.

"So is that what you do? Go to Monte Carlo during Christmas and hit on vulnerable female spies?"

"There are worse ways to spend the holidays."

Seeing the man's rakish smile, Forrest recognized some of what had drawn her to him the previous night. He still looked old, but there was a vitality about him that was hard to ignore. "So you're a spy too?" she finally asked. "Or were?"

If the man noticed the sarcasm in Agent Forrest's voice, he didn't let on. He made a mocking bow from the bed, carefully avoiding spilling any of the martini. "At your service," he said in reply. "Again."

Rather than respond, Forrest pointedly stared at her watch.

"It gets easier, you know," the man said, not taking the hint. "As the years go by, you'll find something meaningful to cling to this time of year. Like I said, I've been at this for a long time."

"A long, long time," Forrest corrected. "And who said I'm looking for meaning? My job means everything to me."

"Right, my mistake." He finished his martini, and rose from the bed. To Forrest's relief, he went to search for his clothes.

"Listen, I have to leave in a few hours," Forrest said when he had finished getting dressed. "So…"

"Ah, yes, the busy life of a spy. Of course, I'll leave you be, Agent Forrest. But, if you ever want to contact me, say, same time next year, here's my card." The card he handed her only listed a telephone number, and a name. Roan Montgomery.

"Uh, thanks, but I don't think I'll…"

"Well, do whatever you like. Merry Christmas, Agent Forrest." Montgomery bowed again, and let himself out of the room.

For a while, Forrest sat on the bed, feeling the headache gain strength. Then she stood up, and walked up to the trashcan. She dropped the card down into the basket.

She returned to her packing, and in no time had all of her belongings together. She dragged her bags into the hallway, shutting the door behind her.

A minute later, the door opened again, and Forrest returned to retrieve the card.

* * *

_Christmas Eve, 1 AM, Arlington, VA_

While having a high level of clearance afforded a lot of perks and powers, it had its drawbacks. General Diane Beckman was brooding over this as she stared at the reports in front of her. Certain documents and mission reports were of too sensitive a nature to foist onto some willing underling, so she was stuck reviewing them herself. And they were always a chore to get through. If only, in addition to the hand-to-hand combat and weapons training, the NSA also trained its officers in proper grammar.

At least there weren't any interruptions to take her away from her work. Even when she worked from home, like she was now, someone would contact her on her direct line with some supposed emergency. Usually from California.

But Christmas Eve meant that everyone, both those on her side and on the other, was taking the night off. So she could get through these reports in peace. No matter how painful that was.

Finally, with a sigh, she tossed the current source of her misery on her desk and headed for her living room. She walked over to the bar and poured herself a scotch. She then found the remote control and turned on the TV.

She immediately groaned when she saw the black-and-white scene that flickered on. She had hit the movie just in time for the big finale, and all of the actors were gathered around singing 'Auld Lang Syne.'

"Oh sure, forgive him because he's so nice," she commented wryly. "Just forget that he's the reason all of you lost your money. That'll just come back to haunt you." She had dealt with far too many politicians just like George Bailey to buy into what the movie was selling. She flicked the remote, changing the channel.

The girl on screen was warbling about the dangers of pouting and General chuckled. The US Government could learn a thing or two about surveillance from 'Santa Claus.' Maybe some of the nation's law enforcement officers should wear red suits when approaching judges about wiretaps.

Still, the lessons in clandestine monitoring were hardly worth sitting through the caterwauling of the teenage pop star currently on the screen, and she changed the channel again.

After a few more disappointments, she finally found a station that revealed a more comfortable sight. It brought back memories of her younger days, when she wished for something similar for Christmas. Only she didn't get one.

"Ah, Ralphie," she said to the TV, leaning back with her scotch. "Will you ever get that bb gun?"

* * *

_Christmas Eve, 4 PM, Burbank, CA_

"I'd offer to help you, but I've come to realize how well you can handle a knife."

Sarah looked up from chopping vegetables to see Ellie standing in the kitchen doorway.

"Ellie, you should relax! We've got everything under control."

Ellie made a face. "I'm sure you do, but no thanks. At least in here I don't have Devon hovering over me all the time. And Chuck and Morgan have started in on one of their old Christmas traditions."

"Oh? Which one is that?"

"Watching those old stop-motion specials with the sound off, and inserting their own dialogue." Seeing Sarah's smile, she added, "Trust me, after a few minutes, it's not as fun to watch as you'd think."

"Funny, I don't remember them doing that last year."

Ellie smiled. "Well, I guess he was still trying to impress you then. You know, you shouldn't let him get away with feeling like he doesn't have to try anymore."

Ellie moved into the kitchen. She took a quick peek at the oven, making sure that the ham was making the appropriate level of progress, and was now cleaning some of the dishes in the sink. Sarah wanted to protest, but she knew it was of little use. It had been hard enough to get Chuck's sister to relinquish her usual hostess duties for one year.

"So," Ellie spoke up after a few minutes of silent chopping and scrubbing, "this must be kind of a dull Christmas for you, rather than the usual life of a spy."

"Not at all," Sarah responded. "As a spy, holidays tend to be, well, just another day. You're off on a mission, or catching up on whatever paper work or other leftover things you need to do."

"That doesn't sound like fun."

"The alternative is worse, actually. If you're not busy, then you tend to start dwelling on all of the things you had to give up. Family, friends. It's never a big deal until the holidays."

Ellie looked at her sadly. "And that was what it was like, before…"

"Before Chuck?" Sarah smiled. "Yes."

"Well, I'm glad we can all have a nice, real Christmas then. One where we can all be open and honest with other."

Sarah noted the minor rebuke, and felt worse since things still weren't entirely open or honest.

Before awkward silence had a chance to stretch for more than a couple of seconds, the sound of footsteps came from the living room. "Hey Ellie," Sarah heard Chuck's voice say, "Devon's looking for you."

"Oh, awesome," Ellie said, rolling her eyes. "Well, back to being fretted over."

"How are things going?" Chuck asked after Ellie had left. He put an arm around her waist, and gave her one of his crooked smiles.

"Just fine here. What happened to your game with Morgan?"

"Oh, 'Rudolphs Shiny New Year' started heading to a dark place, so we took a break. Ellie told you about that, huh?"

"About your dark secret? Yes, she spilled the beans. Isn't it a bit late for you to be hiding your geekiness from me?" She gave him a playful punch in the arm.

"Oh, on the contrary, I've always been quite upfront with my geekiness and my nerdiness. It's the dorkiness I try to put a lid on. What did you two talk about?"

"The life of a spy during Christmas."

"Ah. How it compares to being stuck here with me?"

"Please," she gave him a level gaze. "You don't know what it's like. I swear, Carina always makes sure she's on some mission during Christmas so she doesn't even have to think about what she's missing. And can you imagine how Beckman spends the holidays?"

"I'd imagine they have some ragers at the Pentagon."

"Hardly," Sarah rolled her eyes. "And by the way, why are you carrying mistletoe in your hand?"

"Ah, that. Casey and Alex will be here pretty soon, and even though the big guy seems to be accepting Morgan dating his daughter, I figured the PDA might be a bit too much for him still."

"Ah, good thinking. And that's all?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I can't just leave it lying around. You know how potent this stuff is. This is ultra-strength mistletoe. Watch." He lifted it up over Sarah's head, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Hmm, you're right. This stuff is dangerous."

When Sarah finally broke away, she said, "This is fun, but I should really get back to finishing in here, and you should get back out there. This is our first time as Christmas hosts, you know."

Chuck gave an exaggerated sigh. "I suppose you're right. But be warned, eventually, I'm going to have to kick everyone out of here. I want part of this Christmas to be just about us. The people, not the spies."

Sarah smiled. "Sounds perfect. Merry Christmas, Chuck."

"Merry Christmas, Sarah."


	5. Entry C

**ENTRY C**

* * *

The first year she's away, she spends Christmas skirting through the halls of a large mansion in Russia, trying to find seclusion to make a phone call home. She's successful, to a point – "honey, it's four in the morning, even the kids aren't up yet, and you know they rise early for the presents. I take it this is it? I'll pass along the sentiments. Be home soon, sweetie, love you."

The whole conversation takes all of two minutes, and there's this distant loneliness at the thought of a Christmas away from the family that has her shifting for her phone again. Instead, she straightens her dress and smiles as she turns another corner, painting on her face for the man who will be beside her during the day, who will be in bars by the end of the months.

She pushes away the loneliness, because really, she's Mary Bartowski and she can do anything. Even be home before New Years.

Except, then the job gets more complicated, and she's not home before New Years, and she might not be home any time in the foreseeable future.

* * *

For the seventh year in a row Mary Bartowski wakes on Christmas morning, pulls on her red dress, and readies herself to entertain.

She does not toy with her phone, or imagine Los Angeles. She does not think of her husband, who probably isn't her husband anymore – he may be eccentric and somewhat out of touch with reality, but even he should grasp after six years that she isn't coming back. She does not wonder about her daughter, whether she'll still be dreaming of UCLA and a future in medical, or her son and whether he still wants to be this generation's Luke Skywalker, or create a world like in Tron. She doesn't try to imagine what they look like now.

This her routine most days – put on the clothes she's given, push away the thoughts of home, and entertain the man with a smile. Still, seven years in, there's no Christmas cheer for Mary Bartowski. The cold hallways of her new home overshadow the warm corners and the small rooms of her last one. She has bodyguards to replace her children, and a mad businessman to replace her genius of a husband.

She doesn't have chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast, or have that little gnome-boy running around her feet with her son, and she doesn't sit down to watch _The Twilight Zone_ in the afternoon. She doesn't watch her daughter teach herself to cook. She doesn't fall asleep in a warm bed with a warm body, and love.

But then, she doesn't think of those things anyway, because seven years have taught her: Christmas is a morbid affair.

**

* * *

**

She doesn't know how it happens, but it's been ten years, and she really _does_ stop thinking of everything that she had _before_.

She puts on the dress in the morning, and it's almost refreshing, and she walks through the halls with that confidence she used to feign but that she means now. It's a gigantic place to live in, in the middle of Russia, and it's surprising, somewhat, that she's never cold here – Volkoff delights in the upkeep of his masterful heating systems that probably pollute the world in droves. It's comfortable, so Mary shouldn't care what effect it has outside of her own little world.

And her world is little now – tiny, and contained – even if she _is_ a _'global soul'_. Because she has eyes on her anywhere she goes, assuming she ever goes anywhere, and she can't take a step out of line, and it's been this way for years. She's used to it, now – almost believes she's free to do as she pleases, even though she's not. She does Volkoff's work, answers him without fail, and never wavers in her loyalty. The perfect assistant to him, even though she was supposed to sabotage his every move.

It's probably a little like Stockholm Syndrome – falling in love with your captor and all that. Labelling it was added to the list of 'things Mary doesn't think about' last year, though. If she thinks about it, she'll rationalise this thing, which she doesn't want to do. Volkoff has crazy ideas – it reminds her of another man she loved once – even if he doesn't have the best practices. She mightn't be cheerful in his presence, but he looks out for her, has put up with her all these years, and kept her despite her flaws, and she can pretend. And he must _love her_, right? Like she maybe loves him. And she should show him that – that he is enough for her, enough to replace that life she had before but couldn't handle, couldn't commit to, couldn't stick with, even if he never knew she had that life.

So, no – this is not the first Christmas that she greets him in the dining hall with a kiss, though it is the first that she retires to his room at the end of the day with wine and a smile. It will not be the last time she does either of these things.

She stopped trying to take him down years ago. She doesn't think she ever tried.

**

* * *

**

She loses track of the number of Christmases that pass before she sees them again. She's in Los Angeles for a hit, and her flight home gets delayed, and it's morbid curiosity that brings her to the apartment building in Echo Park. It's a shock to her system, because they're all grown up, and so very dignified, and they're nothing like she remembers, and this might be the first time she realises how much she's missed out on.

Morgan Grimes has grown up, and he might not be tall, and he might not be rich, and he might not be big-business or a heart-stealer, but he _is_ the full time store manager of the local Buy More and a part time spy. And he sits at the table with a beautiful girl at his side, love in his eyes, and a happy smile hidden in his stubble, and Mary's proud of him. He might not be rich or famous, or conventionally handsome, but her son's best friend is still her son's best friend, who has been there when she hasn't, always for the family, and he's _happy_. That's all more than she can say.

Ellie Bartowski is no longer Ellie _Bartowski_, as she sits beside her husband. Mary aches that she never got to see her little girl on her wedding day, never got to see her prom – and when her daughter stands from the table, surrounded by warm lighting and warm faces, there's another thing she'll never be a part of on display – a grandchild evidently on the way. Ellie, she realises, has grown into her own woman, and saves lives every day in scrubs and trauma, she has achieved her dreams, and here she is on Christmas, spending it with her smiling husband and her happy family, making them dinner and laughing along with their burly neighbour. It stings a little that her daughter seems to so easily be twice the woman she is.

Chuck Bartowski is tall, and lanky, but he's always been that way. He's still a bit of a nerd, and it's ridiculously evident, all the way from the Legend Of Zelda shirt he sports, to his curly hair and his wide grin, and the consoles stacked up beside the television. He has a beautiful girlfriend, who sits beside him happily, laughing, and they trade glances and touches and words, and it's so fluid that it must be real. And despite the fact that he isn't a world famous inventor, or game designer, or engineer, or programmer – rather, still working at a Buy More and coming up on thirty – his sheer happiness with his own situation keeps on shining through. Every once in a while, Mary sees him move in a way that's oddly graceful, practiced, learned – sees the blonde woman and the burly neighbour move the same way, and she doesn't know their names, but she thinks she knows them a little. And it gives him away – he's more than a worker at a Buy More, and to Mary, that's pretty evident.

But then again, she always knew Chuck was destined for great things. It's not that surprising, even if it's not the hinted occupation she would have chosen for him. Because even if he is a bit more like her than she wanted, he's still home for Christmas, and that's more than she can say. She watches them interact – an outsider looking in, staying out of sight of the window, but where she can see it. She's proud of her two children, and their friend – who's pretty much their brother now – and how they made this family, and how they keep it. She regrets not being a part of it – more than they will ever know – because she forfeited the love and the cheer and the family when she forfeited her mission. She can't turn around and walk back now – they're all grown up, _without_ her.

Christmas gets a little colder when she turns from the window and traipses back into the city, destined for artificial heat in cold halls, fake smiles, and kisses, and wine. Familiarity, and insanity, and home. This is what she knows now. This is resignation.

This is what Mary Bartowski has become.


	6. Entry D

**ENTRY D**

* * *

Chuck Bartowski had a secret, a secret he had carried with him his whole life. It was a secret so carefully guarded that not even his girlfriend, his super-spy girlfriend, had any knowledge that he even had a secret, let alone one so huge. It was such a big secret that no one outside Chuck's immediate family knew about it. Even as a child Chuck knew how confidential the secret was and never even told his lifelong best friend Morgan, with whom he shared practically everything.

Chuck had kept it hidden his entire life, but now he was considering sharing his most secret of secrets with someone. He was thinking of telling his girlfriend, Sarah. She was a spy, so he knew she could keep a secret. And if he planned to marry her, which he did, the secret was something he would have to share with her before they got married. He just hoped his secret wouldn't make Sarah change her mind about wanting to marry him.

Now that he had decided to let Sarah in on his lifelong secret, Chuck needed to figure out how to tell her. His secret wasn't one that could just be blurted out. It required careful planning in order to assure that things went smoothly.

When his phone sounds an alert that night, Chuck arouses Sarah from her slumber. "What is it Chuck? Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"Sarah, you know I love you right?"

"Of course I know that you love me... and I love you," Sarah responded cautiously, unsure where this was going.

"Well, there's something I need to tell you. A secret I've never told anyone before."

"Okay, can we talk about it tomorrow?"

"No, I have to tell you tonight."

"Well, okay," Sarah said, sitting up in bed. "What is it?"

"Get dressed first. I can't tell you here."

"Chuck, where are we going?" Sarah asked after they had been driving through the empty streets for some time. "And what is it that you have to tell me? This secret?"

"Not yet."

By now Sarah was starting to grow concerned. What kind of secret could Chuck have that would require them to drive off to some unknown location in the middle of the night, just so he could tell her? This was Chuck Bartowski, by far the kindest, most caring man she'd ever met. What could he possibly have to tell her that would necessitate such extreme measures?

After a long, fretful drive, Chuck finally stopped the car. In the dark, it took Sarah a few moments to figure out where they were. But once she recognized it, memories of the the last time they were here flooded her mind. She and Chuck were almost blown up in Chuck's childhood home when Volkoff planted explosives in Orion's secret lair.

"Chuck, why are we here?"

"It has to be somewhere isolated and this is the only place they know to come."

"They? What are you talking about Chuck? Who's they?"

"Come on. I'll show you," Chuck said taking her hand and leading her away from the car and through the darkness.

"Sarah, this is Justice."

"Justice?" Sarah asks with amusement.

"Yeah, you know, like Justice League."

"So this is your big secret?" Sarah questions with a perplexed expression, looking at the animal Chuck had led them toward. "You have a 'pet' deer."

"Reindeer, actually. And he's not exactly a pet. Well he is, but... well, I'll just show you."

"Chuck, what are you doing?"

"Trust me, Sarah."

"We're going on a 'pony' ride, with a reindeer, in the middle of the night?"

"Something like that. Now come on."

Confused, Sarah reluctantly settled just behind her boyfriend on the reindeer's back, leaning against him and wrapping her arms around his waist. Chuck then took the reindeer's reins and they began moving.

The reindeer started walking at a leisurely pace, but soon he started to run. Thinking the animal had been spooked by something, Sarah lifted her head from Chuck's shoulder and tried searching the dark surroundings looking for whatever may have frightened Justice, as Chuck called him.

Chuck simply reached back and brought Sarah's head back to his shoulders as he said, "It's okay."

Then something which truly shocked Sarah started to happen. The reindeer's feet left the ground as he began to run through the open air. Chuck, Sarah and Justice rose further and further from the ground until they reached the sky.

They were flying. They were actually flying through the air under the power of a reindeer. Sarah couldn't believe it. She'd never seen anything like it. But judging from Chuck's expression, this wasn't a new or surprising experience to him.

As the world whizzed by below, Sarah's mind reeled with disbelief. Her mind was so consumed with utter bewilderment, that the journey passed while she remained unaware. It took Chuck moving next to her for her to realize they were back on the ground.

Sarah looked around at her surroundings as she shivered, trying to figure out where they were. Everywhere she looked she saw snow, snow and more snow. Off in the distance, through the heavily falling snow, she could faintly see a cabin, completely decked out with Christmas lights. Everything surrounding the cabin sported a dazzling array of colored lights as well.

Sarah had never seen so many Christmas lights in her life. "Wow!" she breathed, before turning to Chuck and asked, "Chuck, what just happened? Where are we?"

"We just flew by reindeer to a place covered in snow and Christmas lighting. Where do you _think_ we are?"

"You don't seriously mean we're _actually_ at the North Pole, do you?"

"Of course I do. Where else do you think we'd be?"

"Chuck, what is this about? What's going on?"

"It's cold out here. Let's go inside," Chuck replied, as he slipped off Justice's back and onto the snowy ground. After giving the reindeer's nose a few strokes, he extended his hand to Sarah. "I'll explain it to you there."

Chuck and Sarah walked arm-in-arm toward the brightly lit cabin through the freezing snow, trying to keep each other warm. When the door closed behind them, and they felt the toasty air swirl around them, they brushed the un-melted snow from their clothes and hair.

Now out of the cold, Chuck was ready to explain things to Sarah. He was ready to tell her his deepest secret. "Sarah, I'm not Chuck Bartowski. Well, I am, but... I... my family... Well, it's hard to explain. Do you know the story of Santa Claus?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, that''s basically who we, my family is."

"Wait, you're saying that you're Santa Claus?" Sarah asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Well... yeah... pretty much," Chuck answered nervously.

"But he's a round old man with a long, white beard, and you're... well, you're not. How do you explain that?"

"Well it all started with my great, great, great, great... Well, I don't know exactly, but my very great grandfather, who _was_ a round old man with a long, white beard. One year while out delivering presents, he was spotted and the legend of Santa Claus was born. And since my really great grandfather's image was associated with Santa, that's still the image people have of him today."

"Chuck, this is all really hard to believe."

"I know. But it's true and I just hope this doesn't change the way you feel about me. I mean, it is a very shocking revelation, but I really do love you and I hope that you'll be okay with this."

"What about the elves?"

"You mean Santa's helpers? They're right in there," Chuck said pointing to an open room just in front of them.

"Them? But they're not..."

"Short, with pointy ears?"

"Yeah." Sarah answered looking at the people who appeared no different than Chuck or herself.

"Yeah, I'm not really sure where the myth about Santa's helpers being short with pointy ears came from."

Chuck continued to explain the whole Santa thing to Sarah as he gave her a tour of the grounds of the North Pole. He showed her the workshop, the list indicating whether someone was naughty or nice, the stables with the seven reindeer she had yet to meet, the sleigh used for delivering presents all around the world, finally concluding the tour in a room in which the walls were covered with pictures.

"And this is the 'Hall of Santas.' I know it's not actually a hall, but that what it's called. I'm not really sure why. The pictures on the walls are portraits of all the past Santas. Ending here with my father."

"Where's your picture Chuck?"

"I don't have one yet. This is going to be my first year. I'm really starting to freak out. I don't know if I can do it."

"Of course you can Chuck."

"I just really wasn't expecting to take over so soon. But when my father died earlier this year, the duty to be Santa fell to me. I'm not sure if I'm ready for this. I haven't really had any training. I only tagged along with my father a couple times when I was a kid."

"I know you'll do great, Chuck. You'll be a wonderful Santa."

"Sarah, will you come with me and help?"

"You mean deliver presents with you? I don't know Chuck."

"You'll love it Sarah. The sleigh is incredible. It's a lot different than riding on the back of a reindeer. The flight is a lot smoother. It feels like you're skating across the air. The view is amazing and you and I can spend the whole night snuggled up next to each other."

Though it was still December 23 back home in California, Christmas Eve was fast approaching on the other side of the world, and so it was time for Chuck and his beautiful assistant to start making the final preparations for present delivery. Chuck had remained fairly calm up until then, but now he was starting to freak out and since he was the only one who knew what to do, that was a _very_ bad thing.

Sarah needed to get Chuck's attention and calm him down and there was only one way she could think of doing that. Sarah grabbed Chuck's arm and spun him around to face her. She then took possession of his face and kissed him long and hard. When Sarah finally let go of his lips, Chuck was relaxed and happy. Now that Sarah had his attention, she had to get him to focus on his work, his mission.

"Chuck, you've seen your father do this before. Now, what's the first thing you're supposed to do?"

No longer freaking out, Chuck was able to sort through his memories to when he would watch his father get everything ready for making present deliveries. "We have to get the reindeer hooked up to the sleigh," Chuck answered.

"Okay. Well, let's go do that now then."

Chuck and Sarah headed out to the stables where the reindeer were kept and began to get them ready to go. Sarah had difficulties trying to figure out how to put the red and green reins, dotted with little golden jingle bells on the reindeer, so Chuck had to help her. And Sarah found that even though she clearly had no idea what she was doing, the reindeer were quite friendly. One of them, which Chuck said was called Cocoa, nuzzled her neck while she was struggling with the reins, making her smile. Sarah didn't know how Chuck could tell them apart. They all looked just about the same to her, but Chuck assured her that once she got to know them better, she would be able to tell them apart too.

It seemed as though Chuck needed to simply get started with things in order to fall into the right mindset, because as soon as he started getting the reindeer ready to go, Chuck calmly and smoothly sailed through the rest of the tasks he needed to complete. He checked the sleigh and its equipment to make sure everything was in working order, he got the list, the presents and the red velvet sack. Finally, he went to get his father's suit.

Once he had everything on, Chuck took a long-sleeved, red velvet dress with white fuzzy trim along the neckline, sleeves and hem to Sarah. He also brought her a pair of black boots with a heel, red gloves and a Santa hat. "Here Sarah, put this on," Chuck said handing over the items.

"Chuck, just because I agreed to help, doesn't mean I agreed to wear a Santa, or Mrs. Claus suit."

"It's to keep you warm Sarah. It gets pretty cold up there and we'll be traveling all night, all around the world. Some of those places will be pretty cold. You'll freeze to death without the proper clothing."

Seeing Chuck's logic and knowing he had experience with this, where she had none, Sarah went to go change. When she came back a few minutes later, Chuck couldn't stop the smile that grew on his face.

"What?" Sarah asked when she saw the way he was grinning at her.

"You just look so cute. You make a great Mrs. Santa," Chuck said before taking Sarah in his arms and kissing her.

Now that Chuck and Sarah were dressed in the warm Santa-style suits, they were ready to go. Chuck stepped into the sleigh first, then extended his hand to Sarah to help her in as well. Once they were comfortably settled, Chuck took a deep breath to calm his nerves and off they went.

The reindeer began walking and the sleigh carrying Chuck, Sarah and the gifts, started to glide across the snow. Soon the feet of the leading reindeer left the ground, followed by each reindeer behind in succession. When the feet of the last reindeer lifted into the air, the sleigh itself started to leave the snowy surface below. First year Santa, Chuck and Sarah, who was new to the secret, ascended higher and higher into the heavens, until it seemed as though they could just reach out and touch the twinkling stars.

As they flew, Sarah watched the world pass by below. She was amazed by what she saw. Everything was so beautiful. "You were right Chuck. I've been on more planes than I can remember, but the feeling and experience of flying with you in Santa's sleigh is unbelievable."

"So are you glad you agreed to come with me now?"

Sarah's response was to simply move closer to Chuck and nod her head. Chuck in turn wrapped his arm around her shoulder, which prompted Sarah to lean against him and smile contentedly.

"We're here," Chuck announced a few minutes later as the reindeer, sleigh and all, gracefully landed back on the ground. "Our first stop."

"If this is our first stop, why aren't we on the roof? Aren't you supposed to go down the chimney or something?"

"No, that's like the thing with the elves being short and pointy-eared, it's a complete myth. Not all houses have chimneys. They're also small and dirty. Not to mention dangerous. Falling from that height could easily cause injury, plus you never know when there might be a fire below," Chuck explained.

"So how does this work?"

"We use the front door. All houses have one of those."

"Don't people usually lock their doors? How do you plan to get in?"

"Ah, with this," Chuck said producing an ornate-looking golden key from his pocket. "This key will open any door."

"That would really come in handy on spy missions," Sarah commented offhandedly, as she examined the beautiful key Chuck had just handed her. "Not that my lock-picking skills aren't proficient."

"No Santa would ever use this key for anything other than professional business."

"I know," Sarah answered sincerely, as she returned the key to Chuck and lightly kissed the corner of his mouth.

Chuck smiled and hopped out of the sleigh with the velvet present bag and signaled for Sarah to follow him. With the velvet sack slung over his shoulder, Chuck used the special key to open the door to the first house on the list. Chuck and Sarah silently slipped through the door, their spy training proving to be an asset.

As the two approached the large Christmas tree in the main room of the house, it lit up, producing a beautiful glow on the tree and throughout the room. Noticing Sarah's stunned reaction, Chuck whispered, "It's amazing isn't it? That was always my favorite part as child. I loved watching the tree light up when we came near."

After Chuck and Sarah got the presents for the little girl and boy who lived in this house nestled under the tree alongside the gifts the parents had purchased, they began to head back to the sleigh to go onto their next stop. When they walked away, the lights of the tree dimmed and turned back off.

When Chuck and Sarah were again cozied up together in the sleigh, the reindeer took to the skies one more. All through the night and all around the world they went, and throughout the entire journey, Sarah remained in awe. She had never experienced anything even remotely similar. Tonight was by far the most incredible experience of her life. It was also the most unbelievable. She had seen so many impossible things. Flying reindeer. The North Pole and Santa's workshop. Magical keys that would open any door. Trees that lit up of their own free will. A velvet sack capable of holding presents for every child on Earth, and the way they seemed to be able to travel around the world in only one night.

Once their work was done and the sleigh again touched the snowy ground at the North Pole, Chuck and Sarah set about putting the sleigh away and unhitching the reindeer. As they did so, Sarah spoke. "Chuck. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For tonight. For making me believe in Christmas."

Beaming, Chuck took Sarah by the hand and pulled her in for a kiss. When he broke away, leaving his hands cupped around her face, he whispered, "You're welcome."

They'd had a lot of fun, but after delivering countless presents around the world, Chuck and Sarah were exhausted. They wanted nothing more than to collapse on the nearest bed with fluffy pillows, soft cotton sheets and a warm, cozy blanket.

The sound of an alarm clock chirping nearby pulls Chuck and Sarah from their slumber. Chuck is the first to speak when he says, "Good morning, Sarah."

Sarah responds, but she doesn't say good morning. Instead she answers with, "Chuck, I had the strangest dream..."

"Sarah..." Chuck interrupts before she can finish.

Noticing her surroundings, Sarah sees a big, beautiful Christmas tree, all aglow with lights and sparkles, complete with shiny packages nestled underneath. There's a roaring fireplace, making the room feel warm and cozy. It's mantle is topped with garland and colorful lights and two stockings filled with goodies hung at either end. Everywhere she looks she sees Christmas, even outside, where a thick blanket of pure white snow covers the ground.

"It wasn't a dream was it?" Sarah replies after looking around the room.

"No it wasn't."

"So you really are...? We really did...?"

"I am and we really did," Chuck answers with a smile. His smile grows brighter when he presses a soft, sweet kiss into her lips. "Merry Christmas, Sarah."


	7. Entry E

**ENTRY E**

_Chuck Vs. the Weapons-grade Fruitcake __**

* * *

**_

Casey walked around the Buy More in a nastier mood than usual, which was saying quite a bit. This wasn't his favorite holiday of the year. Far from it, actually. It was bad enough he was forced to work on Christmas Eve at a job he didn't really have and wouldn't have Alex nearby, as her mother took her down to her parents' place in Phoenix for the holiday. But now he couldn't even fly to the East Coast to spend Christmas with his mother. A Nor'easter was moving up the coast, and airports throughout the Tri-State area were canceling their flights. He wouldn't have even minded spending half the time shoveling out his mother's driveway. It would have been worth getting away from Burbank for a few days to enjoy himself.

"Wanna slice?"

Casey turned around to see Jeff looking his usual unfocused, scary self. He was holding something that resembled a cross between C-4 and horse manure. Casey had no doubt whatever it really was had to be just as dangerous and disgusting.

"I see Big Mike made you get rid of your mistletoe belt buckle," Casey said with even more revulsion than he usually showed towards Jeff.

"Man has no respect for holiday traditions," Jeff replied as he held up the 'object' in his hand. "I brought some of my mother's famous fruitcake to work with me today. It's an awesome recipe. Makes me right with the world. Nobody wants any, though."

"Can't imagine why," Casey muttered. He walked away in disgust to the Nerd Herd desk, where Chuck was assisting a customer.

"Thank you, and have a Merry Christmas," Chuck said to the relieved customer as Casey walked up to him. Chuck turned to him with an ear-to-ear grin. "Still in a funk over not getting out of town, big guy?"

"Oh, good. It's Prozy, the Obnoxiously Optimistic Elf," Casey quietly growled. "Don't pop too many of those, or you won't have anything to stuff Walker's stocking with."

Chuck shook his head. "I swear, Burgermeister Meisterburger was less cranky than you. You should be happy. It was only the weather that stopped you from seeing your family. A lot of people don't even get the chance to see their families. You got to send Alex a Christmas present, right?"

"You picked it out for her."

"Well, I know how important a good laptop is for college students. Defer to my judgment on matters of technology. But you still gave it to her."

Casey grunted in agreement. "True. I never thought I could reconnect with her, but I guess I got lucky."

Sarah walked up to them and gave Chuck a kiss. Casey gave his traditional grunt of distaste.

"And how is the Grinch doing?" she asked Chuck.

"He's still depressed about his flight being cancelled," Chuck replied.

Sarah smiled. "Well, cheer up, Casey. You never know when things might turn around."

"Yeah right," Casey muttered in aggravation.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Oooh, I may have to resort to torture to put you in a good mood."

Casey looked at her with a disbelieving glance. "I spent three months in an Afghan jail when the Taliban were running the place, Walker. You don't intimidate me."

"Oh, really?" She turned to Chuck and put a pouty look on her face. "Ooooh, can I get a big smoochie from you, Chuckie Wuckie?"

Chuck grinned and fell right in line. "Awww, is my widdle sweedie feewing wonewy?" Chuck and Sarah locked lips and made enough noise from their kiss to make the entire store turn their way. Casey was ready to explode.

"OK! Enough." Casey put on a smile…or at least what he considered a smile. Chuck and Sarah were giddy in their triumph.

"See? Life isn't so bad," Chuck beamed. "You'll come over to Ellie's tonight, we'll have the big dinner, and…"

Chuck was interrupted by a beeping sound coming from the back of the store. "The alarm on the back door is going off. Jeff or Lester must have opened it again. I'll go get it."

Chuck walked quickly to the back of the store. He found the back door slightly opened. He pulled it shut and turned to head back to the Nerd Herd desk. And ran straight into a gun being pointed at his face.

Chuck slowly put his hands up. "Uh, Jeff and Lester didn't do that, did they?"

The man cocked the gun and shook his head. "You came within a heartbeat of tearing down Mr. Volkoff's empire, and he leaves you alive? He may be a fool for listening to that woman, but I refuse to take that chance. I have a lot invested in making sure the business continues to run. This is a little way to insure that."

"OK, uh, good point. But how do you plan to get out of the store? If you try to go through the back door again and set the alarm off again, my partners will know something's wrong."

The man smiled. "Oh, I don't believe that will be a problem."

The man looked over Chuck's shoulder, prompting Chuck to turn slightly. Two more people were leading Sarah and Casey to the back at gunpoint. They stood next to Chuck.

"Very good," the man said. "We have everything we need. Let's go."

Casey glanced to his left into the employees' break room. "Wait a second. You don't have everything you need."

"What are you talking about?" the man asked.

"There's a folder in my locker that contains all of the data we have on Volkoff. You need to take that with you."

The man pointed his gun at Casey. "You are lying. This is a trick."

Casey shook his head. "You don't take that, they'll just send the next agent after Volkoff and they may get even further than we did. If you destroy it, then the trail is burned, and our agency has no idea where to find him."

The man mulled it over in his head. "Very well. But no tricks."

Casey put his hands up in agreement and walked into the employees' break room. He gave Sarah a glance, and she carefully moved in front of the door to obscure the view inside from the three men.

"So, do I at least get to call my parents? Let them know I won't be over for dinner tonight?" Sarah asked to keep Volkoff's men looking at her and not what Casey was doing inside. "I never miss Christmas Eve with them, and they'll know something's up."

The man put his gun against Sarah's forehead. "I'm not that stupid."

Inside the break room, Casey quickly grabbed a folder and several items out of his locker. He then saw the _pièce de résistance_ to his plan on the table. He grabbed it and hid it behind the folder as he opened the door.

The three men got behind Chuck, Sarah, and Casey. "Let's go," the man said impatiently. "No more delays."

Casey prodded Chuck and Sarah forward to walk in front of him. He placed three fingers on Sarah's back out of sight of Volkoff's men. She gave a slight nod. His count went down to two fingers, and then to one.

An object behind the folder fell to the ground as Sarah dove forward and tacked Chuck to the floor. Casey hit a button on the small remote in his hand as he ducked down, and a fireball exploded out of the object, knocking the three men backwards. Casey jumped through the extinguishing flame and knocked one of the men down. The other two tried to charge forward, but Sarah bounced up and landed a spinning kick on one of the men. Chuck pushed off of a table and kicked high, nailing the other man on the chin. The men Sarah and Casey took down tried to get up, but Casey grabbed both of them and rammed their heads into each other to knock them out once and for all.

Chuck was amazed. "Wow. That strip kick thing still works. I didn't even need to flash."

Sarah walked over and carefully studied the object Casey detonated. It looked like a brick of plastic explosives with a detonator sticking out of the end of it.

"You had explosives stored in your locker?" she asked Casey.

"It was Barnes' fruitcake," Casey replied. Sarah stared at him in shock, but Casey shrugged it off. "I figured it had to be mostly alcohol, coming from Barnes' kitchen."

Chuck shook his head. "I don't know who's scarier: you or Jeff." He looked at the three men on the ground. "And I don't think I want to know."

* * *

Chuck added a log to keep the fire in the fireplace going. Casey grunted in approval. It was one of the many things that didn't feel the same living in Burbank, but Casey appreciated Chuck's efforts in making it a Christmas like the ones he experienced growing up.

Ellie and Devon were beaming at the litany of gifts that were mostly for their daughter. Ellie would give birth in just over two months, and she insisted any gifts they brought over be for the baby. Chuck and Sarah chipped in to buy his soon-to-be niece a beautiful wooden crib. Casey took Chuck's humorous suggestion of buying sleepwear for the baby in the team colors of eleven of the Pac-12 teams. The only sleepwear the baby wouldn't be wearing was from UCLA. Casey thought it was stupid at first, but the laughter from Ellie and Devon when they went through the team colors made him realize Chuck was right.

Casey bought Chuck several games for his Xbox, much to Chuck's delight and Sarah's annoyance. However, she lit up when she saw her gift from Casey: the latest Glock pistol, which Casey obtained from a friend of his in the Mossad. Sarah carefully kept it out of view of Ellie and Devon to avoid any arguments, but the grin she gave Casey let him know he made a good choice.

"We're sorry your gifts haven't arrived yet, Casey," Chuck told him. "Someone is bringing those. They should be here any minute."

"Presents aren't necessary, Bartowski," Casey replied. "I don't really need anything."

"Chuck was telling us about your trip getting snowed out," Ellie said. "We're so sorry, John. I'm sure you wanted to spend time with your mother instead of us."

"It's not that I don't appreciate you inviting me over, Ellie. It was just I haven't seen her in a few years, and with Alex now, things feel…I don't know."

"Hey, family's important, big guy," Devon replied. "But family is what you make it. Your mom's loss is our gain. We wouldn't dream of letting you sit in that apartment alone tonight. And you can always visit your mother. Maybe for Easter."

Casey nodded quietly as there was a knock at the door. "John, could you get that for us?" Ellie asked him.

Casey walked over to the door and opened it. He stood there in shock.

"Johnny!"

"Ma?" Casey turned around to look at Chuck, Sarah, Ellie, and Devon, each of whom had a huge smile on their face.

"I told you things might turn around, John," Sarah beamed.

Casey turned back to his mother, who was now looking quite upset.

"That's all you have for your mother?" Casey snapped out of it and hugged her tightly.

"But how? When did you do this?"

Chuck was a bit incredulous. "Case, you of all people should appreciate the advantages of planning ahead! They've been predicting that Nor'easter for days! I talked to Beckman, and she pulled a few strings to get your mother a flight out of Philadelphia before the storm hit. First class, too."

Casey turned to his mother. "But you always like to stay in Connecticut for the holidays."

Casey's mother waved it off. "I've seen enough goddamn snow in my life. I don't need to shovel any more of that crap. I thought it would be nice to see what keeps you with the loonies in California."

Chuck quietly laughed. "That's his mother, alright."

Casey suddenly noticed the suitcases in her hands. "Let me put those in my apartment."

"Better make that your car," his mother replied. "Your friends insisted on putting me up at the Four Seasons. They even got Sunday brunch for all of us. I guess they figured I wanted to do some shopping on Rodeo Drive. They figured right."

Chuck and Sarah never thought they would see Casey like this. Casey was 8-years-old and making a beeline to the presents Santa left for him under the tree.

"I…I don't know what to say," Casey stammered.

His mother smiled. "You've got some really good friends here, Johnny."

Casey turned to look at the four people who made his last four years in Burbank one of the best experiences of his life. "That I do. That I do."

Casey stepped aside to let his mother into the apartment and took her suitcases.

"Who's up for Johnny-as-a-child stories?" Casey's mother asked the group. They roared in approval and quickly sat down to listen. Casey quietly groaned. But he had to admit: this sort of torture he could handle.


	8. Entry F

**ENTRY F**

_Christmas magic and miracles _**

* * *

**

Ellie took a sip of her second cup of eggnog. Being six months pregnant, it was virgin eggnog. It was actually quite good, considering it came from Devon's blender. A true Christmas miracle. After the year she had, she needed one. She didn't know why she was shocked when Chuck told her their mother was a spy. Apparently everyone in her life was involved with the government in some way. Even Morgan. That threatened Devon's awesomeness a little. At least it explained their parents' absence. It didn't make it better, but she finally had some answers. She understood the promise she made to protect Chuck and she was even more determined now to fulfill it.

Her gaze travelled to the couple snuggled up in front of the fake fireplace. Chuck looked as content as he always did when Sarah was around. At first she thought Sarah was a godsend. Chuck pined after Jill for five years. No matter how many times she tried to set him up, get him to move on and forget what happened at Stanford, Chuck always ended up whining over Jill. That all changed the day Morgan announced "Chuck has a date". Then she found out Sarah lied. So did Chuck. Her lovable, nerdy little brother was a spy. A real life, butt kicking agent of the CIA. He lied and kept secrets. And with Chuck's revelation came the second biggest shock of all. His relationship with Sarah was fake, a cover, at least before the big break-up. It was difficult to wrap her mind around that. Sarah always seemed so in to him. If she was wrong about that, was everything about Sarah Walker a lie?

Sarah always seemed so reserved, like she wasn't used to being around people who loved and interacted so openly with each other. It took her a while to warm up to them. Ellie thought she was just shy, which explained her initial attraction to Chuck. But the more Ellie thought about it, the more she was convinced not everything was a farce. The love has always been there. It thrilled her to bits, but she was also concerned. She knew nearly nothing about Sarah Walker. Did she have a family somewhere celebrating Christmas? Did they think she was dead? Did she leave them behind the way her mom did her and Chuck? And what happens when she and Chuck gets married? Have kids? Will she leave them when a mission calls?

Sarah felt Ellie's eyes on her and it made her a little uncomfortable. "Can I get anyone some cocoa?" She needed to escape the room, but that turned out to be a bad idea.

"I'll help," Ellie immediately offered and beat her to the kitchen before she could even respond. Sarah looked over at the guys, but they were engrossed in the latest episode of Twilight Zone. She was on her own with Ellie.

"We need to talk," Ellie spoke first while they were waiting for the milk to heat up. Sarah's gut tightened a bit. She knew this was not going to be a Chuck-is-like-a-duck-conversation. That only meant one thing. They're going to talk about her. She briefly wondered which books Ellie has been reading lately. Hopefully Dr Fred didn't write a '101 conversations to have with your brother's girlfriend before they say I do'. She wanted to marry Chuck sometime before the turn of the century.

"Don't hurt him."

Sarah was taken aback a bit. "Wow, I never thought I'd find myself on the receiving end of that conversation."

Ellie didn't give an inch. "I mean it, Sarah."

Sarah had been expecting this conversation for a while now. Ever since she listened in on Mary telling Ellie the truth about why she left, Sarah wondered how long it would take Ellie to see the similarities in their situation. And to come to the conclusion that it all ends the same way. She even had a speech prepared for this occasion to convince Ellie just how wrong she was. Sarah was determined to fight to keep Chuck in her life. To keep them together. She'd go up against his own sister if she had to. She ran over the words in her head, but given the confessions she made to Casey and Chuck after what happened with the Belgian, they seemed so inconsequential now. Sarah turned her eyes away from Ellie and focused on Chuck.

"I'm different without him and I don't like it." She left Ellie to draw her own conclusion about that statement as she couldn't explain without revealing Chuck's secret. Ellie didn't respond, prompting Sarah to continue. She met Ellie's gaze again. "He's my home and my family. I'm not leaving unless Chuck convinces me he'll be happier with me gone." Turning her back on Ellie, she retrieved four mugs from the cupboard and set them out on the counter.

"What about your other family?" Ellie knew it was bad manners to pry, but she didn't know when the opportunity would arise again and she needed to know.

Sarah wasn't expecting that. She stiffened a little. It was a fair question and she knew her cover story wouldn't suffice. They were past that point. She took a deep breath. "For as long as I can remember…it was just me and my dad. He's the only family I have, but something happened and for the past twelve years I've been pretty much on my own."

A million questions were running through Ellie's head, but it was obvious Sarah was finding it difficult to talk about her past. Besides, her biggest concern was set at ease and if everything went as planned tonight, she'll have plenty of time to get to know the real Sarah Walker.

Sarah braced herself for the next question, but it never came. Instead Ellie pulled her into a quick hug. "Let's make that cocoa."

Still slightly baffled Sarah handed Chuck his mug and settled next to him again. He looked at it and frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"You forgot the little marshmallows, sweetie."

"Oh, that's my fault," Ellie explained. "I forgot to buy."

"No problem," Chuck said as he put the mug down. "I'm sure we have some at our place. I'll go get it."

"I could," Sarah offered but was cut off by a string of 'no's' from Chuck. He gave her a peck on the cheek before getting up.

"Keep my spot warm. I'll be right back."

It was only when the credits of the latest episode started to roll that Sarah realized Chuck hasn't returned. She was worried. Shoving the blanket aside she pulled on her boots and got up.

"Where are you going?" Ellie asked.

"Chuck should have been back by now. I just want to go make sure he's okay."

"No, no, no!" Devon jumped up. Sarah immediately knew something was up. It was confirmed when Ellie gave her husband a pointed look. "I mean I'm sure Chuck's fine," he waved dismissively. Devon was still the worst liar in the world.

"Okay guys," Sarah folded her arms, "what gives? Where's Chuck?" Devon and Ellie shared a glance. Ellie had to think fast. She wasn't an adept liar herself and Sarah would see right through her. But she had learned something from Sarah though. Be vague.

"Chuck went to get your Christmas gift." Surely that wouldn't spoil it too much.

Sarah frowned. "But we've decided not to exchange gifts until Christmas day?"

"True, true," Devon interjected and looked down at his watch. He sighed in relief and gave Ellie a knowing smile. "Hey, it's midnight. Merry Christmas, babe." He pulled Ellie closer for a kiss. After a brief moment she pushed him away.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Devon looked perplexed. Then he seemed to catch on. "Oh, yeah, of course. Merry Christmas, Sarah." He enveloped her in a bear hug, then grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her in the direction of the door before she could even return the sentiment. "It's midnight. You should go now."

"Devon!" Ellie exclaimed.

"What?" he asked innocently. Ellie just shook her head.

"What Devon meant is that you should go find Chuck," she explained. Sarah was trying to say something, but this time Ellie was pushing her towards the door. "What are you waiting for? Go find him." When it closed behind a bemused Sarah, Ellie turned towards her husband. "Very smooth, Devon." Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the window. "Come on, it's our turn."

The courtyard had been transformed into a winter wonderland. The ground was coated in a cloud of white. Hundreds of fairy lights were strung up overhead casted a soft glow. Various wreaths on the apartment doors and an assortment of Christmas lights blinking through windows completed the picture. Faint notes from Silent Night filled the otherwise quiet night.

Sarah stared at it in amazement. It didn't look this way earlier when they went over to the Awesomes. What baffled her most was that it definitely didn't snow. Upon closer examination, she noticed that it wasn't snow. The entire area was covered with gardenia petals. She looked up when a movement caught her eye.

Chuck stepped out from behind the fountain, dressed in a black tuxedo. His bow tie was slightly crooked and he was wearing his converses. Sarah smiled at the sight. Chuck moved closer slowly. His eyes never left hers. When he reached her, he took her hand in his, placed a soft kiss on the back and went down on one knee, her hand still firmly in his. Sarah's breath hitched and her heart flipped over. She bit her bottom lip to prevent the word 'yes' from escaping prematurely. He'd gone to a lot of trouble and she wanted to give him his moment. She wanted this moment.

"Sarah," he cleared his throat nervously, "I can't promise you magic every day, but I promise that I will have your back. Always. I'll do my best to take care of you and keep you safe. I know you don't need me to do that, but I'll try anyway." He gave her a brilliant smile. Then it faded slightly. "I'm forgetting something."

Sarah wondered if she should help Chuck out, but then she heard a grunt behind him. "The ring, idiot."

Chuck's head snapped around. "Casey," he hissed, "do you mind?"

Casey grunted again. "Just securing the perimeter. Beckman's orders. She wants it to go smoothly. You two have a knack for getting into trouble when it comes to this stuff."

"Casey," Chuck's voice was dangerously low, "I'm sure it will go fine if you just leave."

"You know, Bartowski, if I had lady feelings, they'd be quite hurt. After everything I've done…"

"I've already given you a box of cigars to thank you for helping with the flowers. Now, please…I've got it from here." Sarah raised an amused eyebrow.

"Okay, okay," Casey mumbled as he opened his door. "Walker, say yes already, the champagne's getting warm."

Chuck waited until he disappeared into his apartment before turning back to Sarah. "Just for the record, that was not part of the plan. I just thought he could keep a secret better than Morgan, but apparently Morgan rubbed off on Casey, which is bad because…" Chuck realized he was babbling and cleared his throat again. "Not important. Where was I? Oh, right, I promise to keep you safe and to love you forever." He took the ring out of his pocket and slid it onto her finger. "Sarah Walker, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Sarah stared at the solitaire set in platinum. Then her gaze moved to Chuck and back again to the ring. She blinked slowly, but it didn't help. Her eyes were still swimming. "Chuck, it's beautiful." She barely got the words past the lump in her throat.

He looked at her expectantly. "So what do you say? Will you marry me?"

She pulled him up towards her. "Yes." Just to make sure he heard she said it again. "Yes, Chuck. I love you and I want to marry you. I have for a long time."

He gave her his trademark Bartowski smile. "I love you too," he whispered as he leaned closer to kiss her. Just before their lips met, a muffled squeal sounded in the background. Chuck pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. "This is not going exactly as planned."

Sarah laughed softly. "I think it's perfect." Ignoring the eyes she knew was on them, she captured his lips. When another squeal came from the Woodcombe apartment, Sarah lifted her hand and waved them outside without breaking the kiss. It was Chuck who lifted his head first when he became aware they had company.

Ellie immediately had them both in a sisterly choke hold. "I'm so happy for you guys." When she finally let go, Devon gave Chuck a pat on the shoulder.

"Way to go, bro."

Chuck smiled shyly. "Thanks…uh…bro."

"About damn time," Casey grunted as he joined them carrying a tray of bubbly.

"Looks like all those undercover waiter jobs are finally paying off, John," Sarah retorted when she took a glass from him with her free hand. Her other arms was still securely locked around her fiancé.

Ellie decided to take care of the toast and raised her glass of sparkling grape juice. "I still remember the first Christmas after our dad left, when Chuck and I had no one except each other. It was a pretty miserable one. It was the day it truly sank in that our family was broken. But Chuck, being Chuck, tried his best to cheer me up, so he promised that one day we would put our family back together." Devon pulled Ellie closer, keeping a protective arm around her shoulders. "And I believed him." She raised her glass towards him. "You finally did it, little brother. Our family is complete."

Chuck tightened his grip around Sarah's waist and shook his head. "We did it, sis." He and Sarah shared a smile before he turned back to Ellie, motioning to her expanded belly. "And you went a little above and beyond there."

"Well," Devon interjected, "if you two hurry up, there could be two babies crawling around here next Christmas. That would be totally awesome."

Sarah stiffened a little and Chuck choked on a sip of champagne, but they were saved by Casey who announced that he wanted to go call Alex. Wishing them all a merry Christmas, he left.

"It is getting kinda late," Ellie yawned.

"Yeah, we should probably turn in, babe. These two have some private celebrating to do," Devon winked at Chuck who went bright red. Ellie just shook her head at her husband. After a round of hugs and well wishes, Chuck and Sarah found themselves alone in the courtyard.

"Crazy night, huh," Chuck commented. Sarah didn't respond immediately. Instead she put her glass down and led Chuck over to the fountain. Once he sat down, she positioned herself on his lap. "Are you okay, Sarah? I know this is a little overwhelming and if you feel it's too soon, we can put everything on hold until you're more comfortable…"

"Chuck," she interrupted his babbling, "I'm fine. More than fine, actually." Clasping her hands behind his head, she played with the hair in his neck. "This is my favorite time of the year, you know, Christmas with the Bartowski's."

"I knew you could be heart warmed." When she smiled at him he ran a hand down her arm and took hold of her left hand. "I almost can't believe you said yes."

"I can't believe you put off asking because of the Intersect."

"I know. That was stupid. It's not that I didn't trust you, Sarah, it's just…you're you and…"

"Chuck," she cut him off and pulled a wrinkled envelope from her jeans pocket, "I think you should read this."

He took the letter from her and scanned the page. Then he looked up in amazement. "Sarah, this is your resignation letter."

She nodded. "Check the date."

"The day of Ellie's wedding. You were going to quit?"

"I was going to stay with you, Chuck, after your dad removed the Intersect. If that's not proof that I love a regular guy…"

Chuck captured her hand in his again and ran his thumb over the engagement ring. "This is all the proof I need."

"Good," she took the letter from him and stuffed it back in her pocket. "But I wanted to show you this since we came back from Thailand. And I figured today would be a good day. Merry Christmas, Chuck."

Chuck smiled as he leaned in to kiss her. "Thank you. Merry Christmas, Sarah."


	9. Entry G

**ENTRY G**

_Nobody Wants to be Alone on Christmas

* * *

_

"That is your mission," General Beckman finished. "Good luck to you, Agent Walker, and to you, as well, Agent Bartowski."

Sarah watched as the small General signed off and turned to Chuck in dismay. "You're really fine with this, Chuck?"

Chuck smiled kindly at Sarah. "C'mon, Sarah, we've got the easiest missions in the world."

Their missions were indeed simple, but they kept them apart—on Christmas Eve. Sarah was not happy about that. If it was five years ago, maybe she wouldn't have minded. But it wasn't five years ago, it was now. Five years ago, she didn't have Chuck. Hell, she didn't have a life. She knew it was pathetic, but that was then, this was now.

She glanced up at Chuck who was looking concernedly at her. "Listen, Sarah," he began, sighing. "Yeah, it sucks that we can't be together on Christmas Eve, but we're both going to come back, safe and sound, for Christmas. And our missions, seriously, we just have to sit in at some auctions to see who Volkoff is selling his weapons to. Sit, observe, and report; that's all."

"I _know_," Sarah huffed, irritated. "The point is, I don't know why Beckman is sending _us_ instead of two rookies for these missions. We had plans for tomorrow. And instead of _wrapping_ presents, you're going to be in Moscow, while I'm going to be in Dubai."

Chuck sighed again. They did have plans indeed. Glorious plans where the majority of their day would have been spent in the bedroom. And if there was enough time, they penciled in an extra fifteen minutes to wrap some last minute gifts. "At least you'll be warmer than me," he offered lamely.

"I don't like the idea of us being apart." Sarah crossed her arms. She knew she was being childish, but to hell with that. Ever since she and Chuck had _really_ gotten together, she hated going on missions without him. Not only did she worry for Chuck's safety, but she just wasn't focused without him. She wasn't herself.

"I know. I hate it too." He reached his arms out and wrapped Sarah tightly against him. "But we'll both probably get back around 10:00 tomorrow night, which means that we've got a good two hours to…_wrap_ presents."

Sarah chuckled. "That's true." She stood on her tiptoes and pecked his lips with hers. "Be safe, okay?"

"I will," he replied, responding with a kiss of his own. "You be safe too, little lady. I love you."

"Love you too," she cooed, nestling her head into Chuck's chest.

"And if you get bored, you could always think about last Christmas." Chuck wiggled his eyebrows up and down, and Sarah laughed. How could she ever forget last Christmas?

**

* * *

**

_It was their first Christmas since becoming a "real" couple. In the past, Sarah had always believed their relationship to be real, in terms of her feelings for Chuck, the last couple of months had truly taught her what it was like to be in a relationship. There were the moments when they would bicker, moments when they would laugh, moments when they would sit in a comfortable silence, as though they were able to communicate without words, and moments when they would tell each other "I love you" just because they could. _

_Since she realized what it was really like to be in a true, romantic relationship, Sarah really wanted this Christmas to be special. So as Chuck, Morgan, Casey, Alex, and herself sat in their apartment (the Awesome's were in Palm Springs visiting Devon's parents for the holidays), she watched in anticipation as Chuck unwrapped the present she had gotten him. Chuck tore into the wrapping paper to reveal a white, cardboard box. Grinning up at Sarah, he opened the lid, and his jaw dropped, his eyes immediately filled with glee. _

"_Oh my God!" he cried, holding up the plastic cases. Morgan's mouth fell open as well when he saw what Chuck was holding up. "Tron on BluRay?" He placed the case on the ground, and held up another. "Battlestar Galactica the Complete Series, Call of Duty: Black Ops…" He went off listing off the other discs that Sarah had gotten him, but when he came to a round, film canister, he looked as though he would faint. "Monty Python and the Holy Grail….on the original 18 mm print..." He looked up at Sarah, and she knew that her smile was as wide as Chuck's. "How did you get this?"_

"_I have my sources," she said, winking. "So do you like them?"_

"'_Like' them?" he repeated in disbelief. "I love them! But wait…" he trailed off and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Did you only get me these because you know that they'd keep me busy for a couple of days?" He playfully wagged his finger at her. "Sarah Walker, are you sick of me?"_

_Sarah laughed. "Yes. You caught me!"_

"_Well, either way, these are amazing!" Chuck cried happily, getting up to give Sarah a quick kiss (Sarah ignored Casey's exasperated grunt. It wasn't her fault that he came stag.) "Thank you so much!" He nudged the present sitting on her lap. "Go on, open it."_

_She began to unwrap her present, and like the gifts she had gotten from Chuck, her presents were also held in a box. The only difference was that her box was green and slightly smaller. She reached in and took out a large, hardcover book. After glancing confusedly at Chuck, she opened the cover to see a picture of her in the old Wienerlicious uniform and Chuck, in his Nerd Herd uniform, sitting together in the break room at the Buy More. She didn't remember this picture being taken, and as though reading her mind, Morgan spoke up._

"_I took that with my whale tail cam," he said proudly. "I was on my way to upload some footage onto my laptop, and I saw you guys talking. I thought you guys looked…cute."_

"_What's a whale tail cam?" asked Alex, looking curiously at Morgan._

_Morgan gulped, looking from his girlfriend to her father who was glaring a hole into his head. "It's nothing…Sarah, turn the page!"_

_Exchanging a knowing smile with Chuck, Sarah continued to flip through the pages. Throughout the book, there were ticket stubs the concerts and movies that she and Chuck had gone to during her time in Burbank, more pictures of the two of them, birthday cards, Christmas cards, a picture of who she now knew as Vicki Vale, and their train ticket stubs from when they had gotten together in Paris._

_Sarah looked at Chuck who looked quite nervous. "You don't think…that's not creepy that I still held onto that stuff, is it?" _

"_Yeah," Casey piped up._

"_No, it's not creepy at all," Sarah replied, grinning happily. "It's perfect."_

_As Sarah wrapped her arms around Chuck, she realized one more thing. She realized what it was like to truly mean something to someone, and she realized how good it made her feel. _

**

* * *

**

She couldn't remember anything that happened after she had reported in who had won the auction for Volkoff's latest weapon. All she knew was that wherever she was, it was far too bright and far too crowded. She saw three people looking down on her, and she felt a painful pressure on her lower abdomen.

"Where's Chuck?" she tried to say, but no words would come out. Her mouth was covered with a breathing mask. What was going on?

Only one of the three people looking down on her was a woman. The woman began speaking Arabic, and Sarah couldn't concentrate hard enough to try to translate what she was saying. Finally, the paramedic asked, "American?"

Too weak to even nod, Sarah just blinked her eyes as hard as she could.

"You got shot in stomach," the paramedic said. "You lose a lot of blood!"

She wanted to tell the paramedic that she didn't care. She just wanted to go home! Chuck would be waiting for her there, and she needed to see Chuck. She didn't want to be alone. Not on Christmas…not when she needed Chuck…

**

* * *

**

It was his fault that this happened. He was the one that asked Beckman to send them on separate missions on Christmas Eve. He only did it because when they returned to Burbank, he had planned to propose to her. Recruiting Morgan and a couple of interns from Castle, he had arranged for them to set up a gazebo at the beach where he and Sarah had spent the night after their first date. He had tipped off the chauffeur who would have picked Sarah up from the airport to drive her to the beach. It was supposed to be the perfect proposal for the perfect woman, but now, because of him that she was…

Shot.

She was just shot. Plenty of people have gotten shot and lived to tell the tale, right? Sarah was going to be okay, wouldn't she? Even if the doctors had only told him that they had done everything that could be done, and the best thing to do was wait and hope for the best. Sarah was going to be okay. She had to be. There were so many things that they have yet to do together—so many plans in his head for their future.

The only thing left for him to do was to wait. He sat beside her bed, letting her hand rest atop of his. She almost looked as though she were sleeping peacefully if it wasn't for the yellowish, pale hue of her skin.

It broke his heart to see her like this. It broke his heart knowing that he had been putting off proposing to her for months. He should have just…_asked_. She would never be in this position if it weren't for him. He only wanted to give Sarah a special memory, but in this moment, he realized that if he had only asked her earlier, they could have had a life time of special memories.

Chuck shook his head hard and scolded himself. He shouldn't be thinking like this. Sarah was going to be okay. He reached over and gently brushed the side of her face. Even if the doctors couldn't tell him whether she would be okay or not, Chuck knew, and he hoped, that she was going to be okay. She _had_ to be.

**

* * *

**

_He slid off her and laid on his side, smiling happily at her. Sarah gave him a tired a smile and reached over to brush her fingers through his hair. Sometimes she missed Chuck's longer curls. She remembered how she would come up with any excuse just to brush her fingers through them._

"_You know something?" he asked, pulling Sarah into him and kissing her forehead. "I've always thought you were the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."_

_Sarah smiled again and looked up. "Really?"_

_Chuck nodded. "Since the first time I saw you, actually. I remember, my head felt like it weighed a million pounds, you rang the help bell, and God…that was painful."_

_Sarah chuckled. "I'm sorry."_

"_It's fine. You didn't know." Chuck let out a happy sigh. "I remember thinking that maybe you were on your way to some hot people convention—"_

"_Hot people convention?" Sarah teased, giggling._

"_Hey, I had an entire database of government secrets downloaded into my brain the night before. But honestly, even if that didn't happen, I would probably still think you were lost on your way to the hot people convention."_

_They both laughed._

"_But you really are, though," he said, his smile transitioning to a loving gaze. "Beautiful. In all ways."_

"_That's really nice," said Sarah, sleepily closing her eyes. It really was nice to hear that, though. _

"_I mean it."_

"_I know you do, Chuck," she said, opening her eyes. She nestled closer to Chuck, and pulled his arm over her. "And it really means a lot to me. I hear that all the time, you know? And from everyone else, it's like…it's like I know they mean it, but it doesn't mean anything to me. But whenever I hear it from you, I actually hear you, you know what I mean?"_

_Chuck nodded. "Yeah."_

"_But do you know why it means so much hearing those words from you?" Chuck shook his head while Sarah shifted her weight so she could be level with him. Her eyes met his, and she felt the tenderness in them. "Because I feel like you know me. I know there are still a lot of things that you don't know about me, and I promise that I'll tell you those things one day, but for the most part, you know who I am."_

_As Chuck brushed her hair back, Sarah couldn't help but notice how that simple gesture was still able to send soothing warmth down to her stomach. _

"_And you've seen me at my worst," she continued, "I don't know how many times, but you've always looked past them." Sarah took in a deep breath and exhaled, running her finger along Chuck's arms, sketching a line to the curve of his jaw where she rested her palm. "So…I guess…what I'm trying to say is that…I'm really lucky to have you. To put it more simply…" Sarah trailed off with a playful smile, "I love you."_

_Chuck looked up at her with a warm smile on his face. "I love you, too, Sarah."_

_When there was no possible way to get closer to Chuck, Sarah closed her eyes and murmured, "Merry Christmas, Chuck."_

**

* * *

**

Sarah had heard about out-of-body experiences, but she had never experienced one herself. After a countless number of times where she had been in dangerous situations, or even when she was on Cloud Nine, she could never recall having an out-of-body experience. So today, of all days, she finally had one.

She saw her own body lying on the hospital bed, surrounded by her doctor and nurses. The monitors around her bed were all shrieking deafeningly as even more nurses rushed in with a defibrillator. The doctor held onto the shock paddles and waited. She no longer knew whether she was alive or dead, but when she saw Chuck being pulled away by a group of medical assistants, his face more pale than she had ever seen it and tears streaming from his eyes, she could swear that her heart stopped beating. Suddenly, the only voice she heard through the loud chatter was Chuck's voice screaming for her.

A loud buzz emitted from the defibrillator. She felt a sharp pain on her chest. Her sight was suddenly filled with a bright, white light. Then everything went dark. She could not see anything, but she could still hear Chuck calling for her—begging her to come back. Through the darkness, she wanted to call out to him. She wanted to tell him that she wanted nothing more than to be there with him. But then, there was another loud buzz, more bright lights…

The deafening shrill from the monitors died down to softer beep. The beeping was rapid at first but as the seconds went on, they slowed into a steady rhythm. Sarah opened her eyes, and once again, everything was so bright. The only difference was that her eyes began to hurt, and slowly, but surely, they began to focus. When the blurred vision went away, Sarah looked up at the doctor. Beads of sweat were still forming on his forehead, but there was a look of relief on his face. But this doctor—this stranger—wasn't the person she wanted to see. She wanted to see Chuck.

It was as though the rest of her body was playing catch-up. The moment she inhaled, her stomach erupted in a great pain. It was so sudden, and so painful, that she let out a whimper. The doctor placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and smiled consolingly.

"You're going to be okay," he told her through a thick, Arabic accent. He turned around and began speaking in Arabic. Before the doctor could finish his sentence, Chuck pushed past him and immediately took Sarah's hand with both of his.

Tears still brimmed her boyfriend's eyes as he brought up her hand and pressed his lips against it. "I…I thought you were…"

"I'm fine," she said, smiling even though it felt as if a giant vice was pinching her lower abdomen. It would pass, she knew. "I'm okay."

"This…was all my fault," he said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"It's not—"

"I asked Beckman to send us on separate assignments. I thought they were safe, and I had this thing planned for when we got back, and—"

"Why…why would you ask Beckman for separate missions for us on Christmas?"

"Because…" his voice trailed off, and for the first time since she woke up, Chuck looked away from her. He had the same, guilty expression on his face that he had any time he lied, and by now, Sarah could detect whenever he didn't tell the truth. So if Chuck wasn't going to be honest, shot in the stomach or not, Sarah was going to give him a purple nurple. He reached into his pocket, and finally looked back at Sarah. "I had this whole thing planned, you know? The missions were supposed to go without a hitch, and by the time we both landed back in Burbank, it would have been like two hours before Christmas. I bribed a bunch of interns and Morgan to go to the beach and build a gondola, and I bribed your driver to drive you straight to the beach once you landed."

"Okay…but _why_?"

One side of Chuck's lips twitched into a half smile as he placed a soft, velvet box in her hand. "So I could ask you if you would marry me."

Without even opening the box or taking a second to think, Sarah grinned. "Okay."

"I mean…I know in the past that you said that you didn't really like Christmas, so I thought that if I did something special for you, on Christmas, that—did you just say 'okay?'"

Sarah grinned, and nodded quickly. "Yes."

"So…?" Chuck looked extremely dumbstruck.

"Of course, I'll marry you."

"Are you sure this isn't the drugs talking? Because, I don't even know if you know this, but you got shot, and I'm sure that you're on so many different pain-killers—"

"Chuck," she interrupted, grabbing his wrist. "Shut up and kiss me."

Chuck grinned and happily obliged to Sarah's request. "Merry Christmas, Sarah."

"Is it still Christmas?" "Well, not in Dubai. It's the 26th here, but it's still Christmas in Burbank." Sarah laughed, no longer able to feel the pain in her stomach. She didn't know if that was due to the pain-killers or elation, and she didn't care. She was _engaged_! "Okay, then. Merry Christmas, Chuck."


	10. Entry H

**ENTRY H**

* * *

_December 20, 2011_

The view outside the window looked like any other at 30,000 feet yet Sarah knew no matter how many times she flew with her boyfriend it always fascinated him. His fun, almost childlike nature for some of the things most people took for granted was one of his most endearing qualities. It was one of the many things about him that had broken down her walls and made her feel human again. This is why she needed to take this journey with him.

Before her arrival in Burbank four years ago, she hated this time of year. Her memories of Christmas were filled with various con jobs that ranged from pick pocketing a wallet from an unsuspecting father who had just cashed his Christmas bonus check to the one she hated the worst; the annual con job on the Salvation Army. Oh it didn't bother her initially as her father had made the cons seem like a game and what eight year old girl didn't want to play games, but as she got older she realized that taking that money actually hurt poor people and other kids just like her. That's when her father first told her that people were suckers because they trusted others.

"Look Sarah there's Mount Hood and over there is Mount Saint Helens and there is the Columbia River," said Chuck the excitement evident in his voice as he looked out the window. She smiled knowing that after four years in the spy game his enthusiasm for the simple things in life hadn't changed.

She knew the land marks by heart since she'd lived there from the time she was born until she was eight years old and although she hadn't been back since her and her father left in 1990, she could still see them clearly if she closed her eyes. The jolt of the plane touching down broke her out of her day dream.

"_Welcome to Portland, Oregon. The local time is ten thirty a.m. and thank you for flying Pacific Air."_

The weather this time of year was damp and cold just as she remembered it twenty years ago she thought to herself as they put their luggage in the rental car.

It reminded her of her life before Burbank.

This city was her childhood home, but now her real home was sitting in the passenger seat next to her.

"Sarah you don't have to do this you know? Just telling me where you were born was enough for me," he said with a smile as he held her hand. Chuck knew this was going to be hard for her, but everything in Sarah's past seemed to be that way.

"Chuck I know all about you and your family. The house you grew up in and where you went to school. I want to share my past with you and although you don't ask me about it anymore I know you want to know more. Besides I told you it was an early Christmas present," she said smiling at the end.

"I love you Sarah Walker."

"I love you to Chuck Bartowski," she replied as they pulled out of the rental car parking lot.

They drove down the highway and over the Willamette River that separated the east and west sides of the city and took an exit that Chuck mentally noted. He was focused on soaking up everything he could about the city were the love of his life had been born and he didn't want to miss a thing, especially with Sarah and her no camera rule.

The car pulled into the parking lot of an old multi-story building that was no longer in use. The doors and windows were boarded up and the sign out front was almost completely faded, but the word "hospital" could still be seen.

"This used to be Woodland Park Hospital and it's where I was born on April 4, 1982."

Chuck whispered the date to himself multiple times to let the information sink in and then opened the car door and slowly walked toward the building. He stared at it trying to imagine what it was like on that particular day and imagined a very happy mother holding her baby girl for the first time. He looked at her as he felt her arm slip into his.

"So you weren't hatched huh?"

She laughed and slapped him on the arm, but then her face suddenly turned solemn. "It's also the place where my mom died of breast cancer," she said as a tear rolled down her face.

Chuck thumbed the tear from her face and enveloped her in what she had now coined the Bartowski hug. She would definitely need more of those on this journey.

"I'm sorry Sarah. I know there's nothing I can do or say to make that memory go away."

She stared into a soft pair of brown eyes that on their own consoled her. "Yes there is and you're doing it, now come on I want to show you our old house."

The drive to the house was fairly quick and it was obvious with the big tall trees in the unusually large yards that this was an older neighborhood that had seen better days. Sarah pulled up along the curb and parked the car across the street from a two story house with a red brick façade, a faded black shingle roof and a fireplace. The paint was peeling on the white wooden shudders that bordered the front windows. The front of the house was trimmed with Christmas lights and a plastic Santa and reindeer decorated the front yard.

"This is where I grew up until I was eight years old. My room was at the back of the house and I had a swing set in the backyard that my friends and I used to play on. When I was young, four I think, my mom told me Santa came down that chimney after he landed on the roof. Sometimes on Christmas Eve I could hear him walking on the roof and I wanted so bad to get up and wait for him to come down the chimney, but my dad said it would scare him off. When I was seven I found out there wasn't a Santa Claus, but I never told my parents. I later found out my dad went up on the roof just to make that noise so I would think it was Santa."

"Wow. They really loved you to do that. Sounds like they wanted you to have a special Christmas each year."

"Yeah, you know I just remembered all that just sitting here," she said as she stared out the car window.

"So did any of your friends live around here?"

"Yeah. My friend Pamela lived over there and Susan over there. The first boy I kissed lived over there. His name was Timmy."

Chuck noticed that the more she talked about her house, her parents and friends the easier it seemed to be for her and although this was her gift to him he knew in a way it was helping her too.

"So do I need to worry about this Timmy guy," he deadpanned.

"No. I think your safe after twenty years you dork," she laughed and hit his chest.

"Ok just checking," he said.

"We've got one more stop to make before we head back to the airport," she said as she took one long last look at her childhood house and pulled away.

They arrived at River View cemetery with Gardenias and a Poinsettia plant in hand and having obtained the location of her mother's grave from the onsite office they climbed back into the car. River View Cemetery was a beautiful place as cemeteries go and its winding terrain overlooked the beautiful Willamette River.

"You probably think it's horrible that I don't even know where my mom is buried, but I haven't been here since the funeral. I wanted to come back, but dad said people were looking for us and we couldn't go back."

"Hey I don't think any such thing. I know this is hard for you and I'll be right beside you if you need me."

"Thanks Chuck. I'd just like you to meet my mom."

"And I'd love to meet her."

They drove down the winding roads of the cemetery until they reached row 134. They grabbed the flowers from the back seat and set out to find the grave site. After nearly reaching the end of the row, Sarah stopped when she found the simple marble headstone with the inscription:

_Stephanie Lisa Stevens_

_Beloved Wife and Mother_

_December 25, 1958 to May 8, 1990_

The grave site was clean, but there were no signs of flowers and she wondered if her father ever came to visit. She carefully placed the Gardenias on one side of the headstone and the Poinsettia plant on the other side.

"Gardenias were her favorite flower and at Christmas she always had Poinsettias in the house," she said chocking back a sob.

Chuck placed his arm around her knowing how hard the moment was. It was the same feeling he got when he visited his father's grave and he knew no matter how many years had passed, the hurt would always be there.

"Chuck, what do I say to her after all these years? How can I even talk to her?"

"Just talk to her like you're talking to me right now. She'll understand."

Sarah nodded her head and wiped away the tears in her eyes as she built up the courage to talk to woman she had missed terribly for the last 21 years.

"Hi mom, it's me Samantha. I brought someone I want you to meet momma. His name is Chuck Bartowski and he's my boyfriend. Chuck this is my mom Stephanie Lisa Stevens."

Realizing she was having a hard time on what to say next, Chuck began talking to the mother of the love of his life hoping it would give her a moment to figure out what she wanted to say.

"It is my pleasure to meet you Mrs. Stevens and I want to tell you what a beautiful, strong and smart woman your daughter has turned out to be. I think you would be very proud of the person she has become. She means everything to me and I love her so much. I am so fortunate to have found her when I did."

Chuck gave Sarah a kiss on the cheek and walked back toward the car giving her time alone knowing there were some things best said in private between mother and daughter. As he walked back to the car, he realized after noticing her mom's birthday was on Christmas day that there was another reason she didn't like celebrating Christmas.

He had long ago given up hope that Sarah would ever share any of her past with him and had come to accept it realizing it didn't change the way he felt about her. Yet here she was sharing with him everything about her early childhood and then to meet her mother, a person that played a big part in her young life. It was the best gift he had ever received.

"Did you say everything you needed to?"

She wrapped her arms around the man she loved more than life itself. "Yeah, it really felt so easy talking to her thanks to you. I don't know what I was scared of."

"Well she's your mother and no matter what, I think you just made her very happy," he said as he opened the driver's door for her.

"Well let's get back to the airport. We've got a plane to catch to Butte, Montana."

And so they continued their journey through her past including all the aliases her father had given her and all the cons she had helped her father commit. She showed him the places she lived and the schools she attended.

Sarah didn't leave out a thing.

Her major fear on this journey through her past was how Chuck would feel about her when he found out about the things she had done. She couldn't use the excuse that they were done for the greater good because she wasn't a spy then and conning good people and businesses out of their hard earned money wasn't right at any time, but especially during this time of year. Her fears and worries however never materialized because he was supportive and understanding through it all and if she were truthful with herself she actually wasn't surprised because he was Chuck.

He was her Chuck.

On the final leg of their journey they decided to rent a car and drive from San Diego to Burbank since they had both grown a little tired of airplanes. It was Christmas Eve and it was best to avoid the airports if at all possible.

"So you were born in Portland, Oregon and your birth name is Samantha Lisa Stevens. Then you and your dad moved to Butte, Montana where you went by the name Kelly Johnson. After that you moved to Cleveland, Ohio where you used the name Rebecca Franco. Your next stop was Madison, Wisconsin where your name was Katy O'Connell and then finally on to San Diego, California where you went by the name Jennifer Burton. That's where Arthur Graham recruited you and changed your name to Sarah Walker."

"Yeah that's it. Pretty pathetic right?" she laughed although she still felt the shame of it all.

"Hey listen. You had no choice in the matter remember? And don't think for one minute I don't know how hard this was for you to do. I mean just talking about it used to make you upset and now you just took me on a personal journey through your past. Do you realize how big of a jump that is for you? I'm so proud of you right now I could bust."

She laughed at his exuberant expression. "Well don't burst in the rental car because I think that might be pretty expensive to clean up, but in all seriousness I couldn't have done this four years ago before I met you and I couldn't have made this journey without you. So did you like your early Christmas present? I know how much you really wanted to know about my past."

"Sarah it was the best Christmas gift ever. I feel like I know you a little better and understand now what you went through and I think it will help strengthen our relationship."

"Well just so you know that wasn't your only Christmas gift. I have another one for you, but we need to be at the Buy More at seven a.m. on Christmas morning so I can give it to you. I know it's early, but we need to be at Ellie's by eight a.m."

Chuck gave her the smile meant only for her. "Why Sarah Walker I think you're actually beginning to like Christmas, but now I'm curious. You realize the Buy More is closed on Christmas day."

Sarah rolled her eyes and gave him a quick smile. "Now Chuck Bartowski I know how you like to try and guess what you're getting, but you might as well stop now. You're not getting a thing out of me, but if you promise not to pester me about Christmas morning I'll give you a hint of what you're getting tonight on Christmas Eve."

Realizing he couldn't use the classic Bartowski tickle method right now without causing an accident, Chuck decided to go for the low hanging fruit and inquire about the gift he was going to receive tonight.

"Ok you win, but it's only because my torture methods may result in death and injury to us and others on this highway so I won't pester you about tomorrow morning. So what can you tell me about tonight?" he asked giving her the Bartowski eyebrow dance.

"Let's just say it involves me and a Santa cap," she grinned.

"So you're going to dress up as Santa, but you don't have a suit," he stated, his face contorted in confusion as he thought about her clue further.

"Who said anything about a suit or any other clothes for that matter," she said giving him a wink and saucy smile.

"Uh … yeah…," he raised his eyebrows then stammered as he cleared his throat with visions of Sarah in nothing but a Santa cap. "You seem to be driving a little slow this evening. I know this isn't your Porsche, but I think this thing can do ninety."

Chuck realized how much he really loved Christmas.

* * *

_December 25, 2011_

_7:00 A.M._

Chuck and Sarah opened the door to the Buy More and turned off the alarms. The inside of the store was still decorated with colorful Christmas decorations, but long gone were the frantic customers shopping for that special gift.

It was just Chuck and Sarah at the Nerd Herd desk.

Sarah grabbed both of Chuck's hands, softly squeezed them and looked into those soft brown eyes. "Chuck we met here a little over four years ago and little did I realize then that you would become the most important person in my life. You put up with my issues and insecurities and never gave up on me. You changed me Chuck for the better and I love you so much it hurts. You've seen my past and my aliases, but I'd like to change my name one last time. I want to change it to Sarah Bartowski. What I'm trying to say is Chuck will you marry me?"

To say Chuck was caught off guard was an understatement. He had wanted to propose to Sarah for the longest time, and yet here she was proposing to him and words couldn't explain the happiness in his heart.

"Yes Sarah Walker I'll marry you," he said as tears filled his eyes. He reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a little black box. "But only if you marry me Sarah," he said as he got down on one knee.

The tears were clearly streaming down her face. "Yes Chuck I'll marry you," she said as he took her left hand and slipped on the engagement ring.

The two embraced each other and shared a passionate and loving kiss. "You mean you were going to propose today?" she asked through the sobs.

"Yeah this afternoon after Christmas dinner after we got back to our apartment, but you proposing to me here with all the history we've shared was just so special. We're never going to be a normal couple and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Sarah gave him a mega watt smile. "I love you Chuck and Merry Christmas."

"I love you too, soon to be Sarah Bartowski," he replied with the smile that reached his eyes. "Merry Christmas."


	11. Entry I

**ENTRY I**

_The Spirit of Christmas

* * *

_

"What do you mean you don't want to cook mince pies?"

She stared at him curiously, twirling a blond curl around her index finger, as if contemplating his question for a moment. Her eyebrow perked with amusement.

"This is ridiculous, Walmart sell them we could just buy-"

She almost jolted back as his hand clamped over her mouth quicker than a lightening flash, a muffled squeak escaped her mouth. Her warm breath tingled his palm as he slowly removed his hand with a conspirator y glance, his eyes warily wandered the empty apartment as he whispered,

"Shhh! Ellie will hear-"

"Chuck, this is ridiculous. Ellie has a hospital shift there is no way that-"

The joyful chime of _Aly & AJ's Greatest Time of Year _resounded through the apartment causing the curly haired nerd's eyes to widen. His voice was a strained squeak,

"_She knows."_

Sarah shook her head rolling her eyes.

"You're being ridiculous Ellie couldn't possibly know that we were discussing buying-"

"Sshhhht!"

He stared at his phone with fear for a moment, answering in a slightly higher pitched voice

"Hi El"

Sarah's brow furrowed as he pressed a finger to his lips

"Wha-What no! That's completely preposterous"

"Ridiculous!"

"W-why would my palms be sweaty?"

Her mouth gaped open.

"No we would never dream of doing that"

"Ellie calm down, we will most definitely bake mince pies and not buy them from Walmart."

He shot a glare at Sarah.

"Love you too El"

He hung up the phone, and shoved it onto the counter as if burnt by the mere touch of it. Chuck ran his fingers through his unruly chocolate brown curls, they'd grown longer much to Sarah's persistence of wanting to run her fingers through the mop of animal shapes. His eyes lit up with a sudden thought.

"I'll cut my hair if we don't make mince pies-"

Her mouth opened and she let out a

"Huh-huh-haa"

Shaking her head in disbelief

"You'll be on the couch for a week."

"Ellie will cry for the next three years."

She shook her head.

"Chuck, I haven't made mince pies since the incident of '88"

His eyes narrowed to slits.

"What incident?"

"My mother decided it'd be a good idea to make our own mincemeat-"

She shook her head, closed her eyes and screwed up her nose in disgust.

"She added an entire bottle of brandy-"

"Ah, so you got drunk and vowed never to make them again!"

Her feet shuffled.

"No, I was stirring the pan on a gas hob when she added it. Needless to say there was a small fire. I lost my eyebrows, and had a short bob for the start of 89."

He stifled his laughter, small puffs of air pushing through the tight line his lips had made. Her eyes narrowed and her stare hardened to a glare.

"It's not funny."

She pouted.

"O-of course" Hmpff "it's not."

"No mince pies!"

She sauntered out of the room, swaying her hips tantalizingly. A spurt of laughter echoed through the kitchen only to be muted by the whoosh of a knife embedding the wall. He began to make his way into the living room talking as he did,

"Honey, if you love me you'd bake mince pies with me."

He put on his puppy dog eyes.

"Chuck, we got engaged two days ago; you can't pull the if you love me card now!"

"B-but Sarah-"

His eyes darted across the apartment as he spoke in a hushed whisper

"-it's a matter of national security."

"Baking mince pies is not a matter of national security-"

"I-Ellie will get mad! A-and the hormones and... and she'll kill us all and put _us _into mince pies."

She rolled her eyes.

"_If _I agree to making mince pies you-"

He beamed a large toothy grin allowing a small squee to gather in his throat.

"-you have to tell Morgan that he can't answer the phone 'Buddy the Elf, what's your favourite colour?' like he did last year. That _includes _him dressing as an elf-"

"But Sarah that's his favourite part of Christmas!"

"And he can't spike the eggnog. Again."

He furrowed his brow, rubbing his chin in contemplation. He nodded slowly.

"Deal."

She smirked as he continued

"Everything we need is in the bottom cupboard on the right hand side, I'll be back in a sec-"

"This better not be a trick Mr Bartowski"

He grinned

"Would I ever?"

He pecked her lips quickly then rushed down the hallway of their apartment. She wandered into the kitchen slowly, wondering what she'd gotten herself into again as her hands automatically began unpacking the cupboard placing each item on the counter at right angles. Each ingredient was separated into sections, for the shortcrust pastry and for the mincemeat. Once satisfied with each placement she wandered over to the oven putting it at 200®C. The thunder of converse trainers could be heard throughout the apartment, she ignored his presence entering the kitchen until his arms enveloped her from behind.

He inhaled the smell of vanilla that drifted from her hair and twisted her in his arms until her eyes met his. His lips captured hers slowly for a few seconds until he pulled away slightly short of breath, he stared at her again, giving her another chaste kiss.

"Mistletoe"

He nodded above his head where his hand held a stem of mistletoe. He smiled taping it above the countertop, she watched with a quirked eyebrow.

"I was thinking that this year we add some cinnamon and nutmeg to the pastry; you know. Keep it fresh."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure"

She began tipping flour into a bowl, followed by unsalted butter with a pinch of salt kneading it with her hands until it was a crumbly mixture. His body wrapped around her and helped her pound the pale crumbly mix.

"Caster sugar"

He grabbed it tipping a small amount into the bowl, as she continued to knead.

"Egg yolk"

He rushed to the sink and began deyolking an egg tipping it into the bowl whilst Sarah began using a palette knife.

"Water"

Slowly he added the water whilst they continued to work in unison making the pastry. He sprinkled in a small amount of cinnamon and nutmeg as Sarah worked the mixture into a soft dough. She grinned.

"See this isn't so bad."

He kissed her cheek as she pressed the dough into a ball.

"I guess I could suffer through it"

He smiled at her awkwardly twisting his head to capture her lips

"I'll get the cling film."

When he returned she wrapped the dough neatly into a package setting it aside to rest for ten minutes.

"We make a good team"

"Mhmmm"

She pressed her lips to his, allowing their tongues to entwine struggling for a battle of dominance whilst falling into a steady rhythm as his hands encircled her waist whilst hers tangled with his unruly curls. As their lips parted she breathed slowly, and her shaky voice whispered

"Mistletoe"

He looked up and nodded.

"Wouldn't want to appease the gods of Christmas."

She grinned and turned back to making the mincemeat with the same efficiency as making the pastry, it wasn't long until the mixture was made and ready for distribution.

"I like making mince pies"

She pressed a quick kiss onto his lips breaking free from his embrace to grab the rolling pin.

"You know what this needs?"

"This needs nothing-"

She gestured towards the mincemeat

"-because I made it."

He smiled.

"Modesty, one of your best traits future Mrs Bartowski, as I was saying-this needs _music_"

He rushed to the stereo pressing play until the sound of _Merry Christmas, Baby _echoed through the apartment. He danced towards her slowly wiggling his eyebrows, swaying his hips whilst waving his arms in a strange dance similar to how she imagined jelly would look being wobbled onto two breadsticks.

"Dancing; one of your best skills Mr Bartowski"

She smirked as he pulled her into his arms twirling her around the kitchen

"Is that a hint of _sarcasm?_"

She smiled silently, continuing to dance around the apartment until Liz Phair's rendition of _Winter Wonderland _began to blare through the speakers. Sarah murmured the lyrics beneath her breath whilst Chuck rolled the dough into a thin pastry, she searched the kitchen until she found cookie cutters letting out a triumphant _"Ahaa" _when she did.

They continued in silence as she cut out the bases for the mince pies, whilst he carefully placed them onto a tray until both trays were filled. Twenty four bases ready for mincemeat. Sarah playfully nudged Chuck with her hip, pushing him out of the way to grab the mincemeat laughing at the indignant look her shot her way.

"You could've asked"

"Yeah but I didn't want to"

She pushed a spoonful of mincemeat into his mouth.

"This is good-"

He smiled as he swallowed

"You should try it"

He shoved a spoonful into her mouth as she let out a squeal of disapproval shaking her head as she swallowed.

"Get a new spoon, god only knows where _your _mouth has been"

She pointed at him shooting him a look of false annoyance.

"Well my mouth has been on yours."

A look of disbelief flashed across her face.

"You're right. Maybe I should brush my teeth..."

She began heading towards the bathroom until his hand grabbed her arm spinning her back into his chest simultaneously attaching their lips together in a passionate kiss. She laughed as they broke apart, he brushed a stray blonde hair behind her ear.

"Mistletoe."

She shook her head and returned to spooning mincemeat into each empty base, and with Chuck's help all twenty four pies were filled. Using the cookie cutters they both began to make pastry shaped stars, draping them over the mincemeat then switching to a lattice style pie and finally to a full pie crust.

"Voilah"

She spread her arms across the counter waving her fingers similar to one of the women who advertised on telesales programs.

"Perfect."

He grinned as he danced to the oven, opening the door as she pushed the two trays in.

"See only ten minutes then they'll be done and Ellie will be happy-"

"And Morgan will not recite lines from Elf, nor will he spike the eggnog-"

"Hey look mistletoe!"

He pulled her into his arms drawing her into a tender kiss for a few moments, once they parted he rested his head on top of hers sighing in contentment. In a matter of seconds the oven chimed alerting them both that it'd been twelve minutes, even though it certainly didn't seem that long.

"I'll get them!"

A gleeful smile resided on his face as he pulled out the two trays wearing a pair of oven gloves.

"Twenty four mince pies baked to perfection."

She smirked, going over to the sink washing her hands, automatically going to pick up-

"My ring"

Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open as she searched along the counter top frantically searching for her ring, it couldn't have fallen down the sink. The grate was too small for a ring, it had to be on the counter, she distinctly remembered putting it down

"Chuck, honey, have you seen my ring?"

"Your ring?"

He began to search the counter tops as she let out a frustrated sigh.

"My engagement ring! I had it right before we made the-"

"Oh please no"

"-mincemeat."

His slapped his hands against his forehead.

"It's in one of the pies."

She nodded slowly.

"B-but they're... They're so perfect can't we wait until-"

Her skilful hands ripped off the stars from the pies ignoring the burning sensation of the hot mincemeat, as she searched through the pies looking for the ring

"-we eat them."

He sighed and began joining her riving open the tops until

"GOT IT!"

She rushed to the sink washing off the residue of the mincemeat and pushed it back onto her finger firmly with a smile.

"I almost panicked there"

She turned towards Chuck slowly, as he stared dejectedly at the pies.

"The pies."

"We can make some more before Ellie comes-"

The silhouette of a woman passed the window.

"She's home."

A strained whimper escaped his mouth as he rushed to throw the remains of the pies into the bin carelessly.

"Quick! In the top left cupboard!"

She rushed to the cupboard confused at what she was searching for-

"Mince pies from _Walmart?_ They were here all this time and you didn't tell me?"

Sarah stared at him indignantly.

"I needed a backup plan! Quick put them in the oven!"

"Chuck they're already cooked you can't-"

"BURN THEM!"

Her brow furrowed as he frantically pulled metal trays off the tiny pies shoving them into the oven at a high temperature.

"No one buys burned pies! Quick!"

She joined him shoving the pies into the oven as a knocking echoed through the apartment, it somehow seemed louder than the Christmas songs that blasted from the stereo.

"We could pretend we're out-"

"Chuck! Sarah!"

Ellie's voice stopped both of them in their tracks.

"She knows we're in."

Sarah whispered.

"We're doomed."

He stared over the counter.

"JUST A SECOND EL!"

He turned back to Sarah

"If I don't make it back alive remember that I love you"

She nodded and began pulling out the burnt mince pies frantically arranging them onto a nearby plate. The pies were slightly black around the edges, covered in a dark brown coating similar to bark from a tree, they looked very different from the box. The shape of a star could be vaguely distinguished by the charred black edges.

"Hi El!"

Chuck's squeaky voice resonated through the apartment as the Christmas music abruptly stopped.

"Hi Chuck-do I smell burning?"

"I-I don't know do you?"

She gave him an incredulous look, as Sarah appeared by his side

"Hi Ellie"

"Hi Sarah-wait-are _those_ the mince pies?"

She gestured towards the table where the set of twenty four burned pies resided, hazardously thrown onto a nearby plate. She wandered towards the plate curiously as Chuck and Sarah lingered back,

"Chuck."

"Yes El?"

She picked up one of the pies juggling it in her hand curiously

"These are from Walmart."

"You see El that's just our-"

Sarah kicked his shin

"-mainly _my _bad baking skills-"

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Chuck the box is on the counter still."

His mouth rounded to make an 'O' shape as he opened his mouth in an attempt to form a coherent sentence, closing it again. Sarah cut in.

"We _did _make mince pies but-"

"Sarah lost her ring-"

"-and I lost my ring and we looked then I remembered putting it on the counter and-"

"It was in the mince pies so we had to-"

"-destroy the mince pies and use Chuck's backup plan"

Ellie stared dumbfounded as they finished each other's sentences, finally speaking slowly.

"And that was to what? Burn Walmart pies?"

Sarah's brow furrowed and Chuck nodded his head slowly

"Pretty much yeah."

She placed the pie back onto the plate slowly.

"You thought I wouldn't notice?"

"Who would want to lie about burning pies? It was a genius plan really-"

"Chuck shhh"

Sarah whispered nudging him with her elbow.

"Damn it you two, don't you see what you've done?"

Her eyebrows knitted together in a frown.

"Now I owe Devon $20!"

Their eyebrows raised and eyes widened in unison as a baffled

"Wha-what?"

Escaped both of their lips.

"He bet that you'd buy pies from Walmart and cover it up by burning them and I bet you wouldn't."

She shook her head making her way out of the apartment

"It's a good job I had a backup plan."

She waddled out of the apartment unlocking the door to her own, Chuck and Sarah stared at each other as Ellie's returning form came back into view.

"I don't care what your excuse is, you are _not _costing a pregnant woman $20"

She shook her head again handing Sarah a plate filled with homemade mince pies.

"Don't tell Devon."

Ellie disappeared into her apartment leaving a stunned Chuck and Sarah looking on in disbelief, the booming sound of Casey's voice pierced their ears as Morgan came into view.

"GRIMES!"

A gleeful growl escaped his throat

"Pay up moron, Ellie gave them the pies to fix the bet with Devon."

"Aww man"

He begrudgingly handed Casey $20 as he merrily marched back into his apartment. Chuck turned to Sarah slowly

"I think our courtyard may have a gambling problem"

She kissed his lips slowly, and grinned.

"All in the spirit of Christmas."


	12. Entry J

**ENTRY J**

_Chuck vs the Fluffy Christmas_

_

* * *

_

_December 24, 2008_

Chuck waved at Morgan and Anna, the last of his departing co-workers, and locked the front door to the BuyMore. He took a moment to rub his tired eyes before looking out at the almost-empty parking lot. It had been a long day or last-minute shoppers, made longer by the absence of a certain CIA agent-yogurt girl, who had promised she'd try her best to make it back from DC for Christmas Eve with Ellie and Awesome.

Chuck tucked his hands into his pockets and began to walk towards his Nerd Herder. _Guess it's just me and the happy couple tonight,_ he thought to himself.

"Bartowski."

Chuck nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice from behind him. He whirled around to see john Casey, standing a foot away.

"How does a human being as large as you move that quietly?"

Casey shrugged. "Years of training. Comfortable shoes."

Chuck laughed. Casey didn't.

"Oh, you're serious about the... well, yeah, that makes sense, I guess-"

"Ride back with me, I want to talk to you," Casey said, not waiting for Chuck's answer before turning and walking towards his waiting Crown Vic. Chuck sighed and followed obediently.

* * *

"So, by 'talk' you meant 'drive in absolute silence.' That's cool, I guess," Chuck said as they pulled into the parking lot for their apartment building. Casey hadn't said a word the entire trip, and had in fact seemed nervous. He shut the car off but made no move to get out.

"Casey, are you-"

"I know this has been tough," Casey finally blurted out. "You didn't ask to be put in the situation you're in, but you're doing the best you know how. And in how I act or the things I say, I want you to know that..." Casey seemed to search for the courage to speak again.

"...I want you to know that I'm proud of you."

Chuck stared in stunned silence for a moment. "You... with the... you're..."

Casey sighed. "Let's not make a federal case out of it; okay, Bartowski? I just... with Christmas and all..." His voice trailed off as he looked out the window at the decorations on Ellie's door.

Chuck nodded. "You, uh... coming for dinner tomorrow?"

Casey grunted as he opened the car door. "I suppose your sister won't take no for an answer?"

Chuck laughed and opened his own door, climbing out. "You're getting the hang of it, Casey." The two walked through the courtyard, and towards their respective apartments. Just before Chuck reached his door, he turned. "Casey."

Casey stopped and faced Chuck.

"Thank you," Chuck said. "That couldn't have been easy to say."

Casey grunted affirmatively. "Merry Christmas, Bartowski." He walked into his apartment and shut the door behind him before Chuck could reply. Chuck smiled and walked into his own.

Once inside, he took a moment to look around at the decorations Ellie had placed throughout the living room. He made a mental note to compliment her on the work she'd done. If left to his own devices, Chuck supposed the Charlie Brown Christmas tree would even be a stretch.

It was then that Chuck heard voices coming from his bedroom. Brow creased, he approached and opened the door to see who was there. His jaw dropped in shock.

There, in his room, was Ellie, talking to his computer screen.

To _General Beckman_ on his computer screen.

"So, I sprinkle the cinnamon after it bakes?" the General asked.

"Mmm mmm," Ellie hummed, shaking her head. "Before. That's the secret."

Beckman's face broke out into an enormous grin. "These are going to be the best scones ever. Huzzah!"

"Ellie!" Chuck gasped. "General! I- I can explain!"

"No need, Chuck," Beckman soothed.

"It's a virtual reality program Morgan downloaded, and- I'm sorry, what?"

"Chuck," Ellie said, taking her brother's hands. "I'm so sorry. I stumbled onto your emergency connection while I was in here cleaning. General Beckman told me everything – how you're a top-secret government asset with scores of intel in your head, how Sarah and Casey are actually your handlers, and how you've been forced to lie to me in order to protect me – and I want you to know that I'm okay with all of it."

"The General, and... scones... and..." Chuck blinked a few times. "You're really okay with it?"

"Absolutely," Ellie smiled. "My little brother, saving the world. I think it's... awesome."

"He's good at it, too," Beckman chimed in. "Also, kind of hunky."

Chuck blinked again. "That... was... kind of unrelated."

"What can I say," Beckman shrugged. "Mama likey. Thanks for the recipe, Ellie."

Ellie saluted.

"Good day to you both, and Merry Christmas." Beckman terminated the connection, leaving a dark screen.

"Monday morning is going to be weird," Chuck mused.

"Chuck," Ellie said, tightening her grip on his hands, "tell me. You and Sarah. Is that real, or is it – what did the General call it – 'part of your cover?'"

Chuck opened his mouth to reply, his head swimming, but no sound came out. It was a question he'd asked himself – hell, asked _her_, under the influence of truth serum no less – countless times before, and right now he was no closer to an answer than he ever had been. But a voice from the Morgan Door answered for him:

"It's real."

Chuck and Ellie turned to see Sarah, standing outside the window, the hint of a cautious smile on her face. Chuck lit up in surprise and happiness.

"Sarah!" he exclaimed, rushing to the window to help her inside. "You made it!"

"I promised, didn't I?" she said, stepping into Chuck's room. "Hi, Ellie. Sounds like the jig is up."

"Busted wide open," Ellie said, pulling Sarah into a hug. "So, how big a hero is my little brother?"

"The biggest," Sarah said, smiling in Chuck's direction. Chuck sputtered.

"She's- ah- that's probably more of an exaggeration than-"

"Ellie, can you give us a minute to talk?" Sarah asked.

Ellie smiled knowingly at Sarah and nodded. She gave Chuck a kiss on the cheek. "I'm proud of you," she said, hugging him before walking out. Chuck turned to Sarah.

"I have no idea how it happened," Chuck blurted out, panicking. "I was- Casey and I were- she must have been in here cleaning or-"

"Chuck," Sarah interrupted. "It's okay. I just need to talk to you. It's about Bryce. There's no easy way to say this..."

Chuck closed his eyes and waited for the bomb. This was, of course, where Sarah told him that it was all fake, that she had lied in front of Ellie to keep up appearances, that she had been contacted by Bryce and that he needed her to come join him in the Caribbean to quell a revolution. He braced for it-

"Bryce has a vagina."

And, there it was. She wasn't his, could never be his, she belonged to the world, but specifically to-

Wait, what?

"Wait, what?"

Sarah breathed in deeply. "It's his greatest secret. Bryce has both male and female genitalia. It's the reason why I could never... you know... with him."

"I... just... WHAT?"

"Please don't make me say it again."

"But... all this time... I thought you and he were..."

"I know, Chuck, and I'm sorry to put you through that. I used the idea of a relationship between Bryce and me to push you away. It was a defense mechanism. But I was a different person when I planted that idea. You've changed me."

"This is all... it's amazing."

Sarah hugged Chuck tighter, and pressed her head against his chest. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Chuck nodded sagely. "Of course, Sarah. I could never hold Bryce's lady parts against you."

"Neither could he, Chuck. Neither could he."

"You know, in the pantheon of Chuck Bartowski Christmases, this one is shaping up to be a pretty good one."

"Just pretty good?"

"Well, in 1987 I got the GI Joe Helicarrier. It's going to be tough to top that."

"Well," Sarah purred, tilting her head so she could place a small kiss on Chuck's ear. "Lock your door, and I'll see what I can do."

Chuck's eyes went wide, and then an enormous grin spread across his face. "Merry Christmas to us all." He sighed, and stood perfectly still.

"Chuck?"

"Hm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting to wake up."

"Um... why?"

"Come on, Sarah - Casey's proud of me, Ellie's okay with the spy thing, Bryce is a hermaphrodite – this is obviously a dream."

"Um... no, it's not."

"Sarah. CASEY IS PROUD OF ME. Dream."

"Not a dream, Chuck." And to illustrate her point, Sarah pulled Chuck down into a passionate kiss. Surprised at first, Chuck quickly adjusted and kissed back, finally breaking it when they both needed to breathe. He pressed his forehead against Sarah's, and gently stroked her hair. After a long moment, Sarah finally broke the silence.

"An alternate universe, maybe; but definitely not a dream."

"Eh. I'll take what I can get."


	13. Entry K

**ENTRY K**

* * *

_25th December, 2023_

Sarah and Chuck were sitting on their loveseat in the living room. The couch was being used by the Woodcombs. Besides Sarah thought, _I prefer to be that close to Chuck_. Sarah smiled at the thought. As she looked at the Christmas carnage that was before her, it was as if a Christmas bomb had gone off. Between Stephen, Bryce, and Lynsie, and then Mary and Edward Woodcomb, there was a lot of clean up to do.

Ellie looked at her hosts and asked them "So what is your favorite Christmas memory before the kids came."

Chuck looked at his watch and dug into his wallet and gave Sarah five dollars and a short kiss on the lips. "You were right. She didn't even wait five minutes after we were done with the presents before she started reminiscing."

Devon's head went back in a belly laugh until he received an elbow in his side. Ellie gave Chuck the eye and said "So what exactly is wrong with remembering some fond memories?"

"OK. OK. I'm sorry Ellie, Just for that I will tell you one that you don't know about."

Sarah looked at him for a second and then her face erupted into a huge smile. Devon noticed and said "A memorable event happened to a Bartowski that hasn't been shared. Oh this I gotta hear."

"As I recall it was Christmas Eve 2010…."

"Morgan, I am the worst. Boyfriend. Ever. Once we got back from Thailand it seems like we haven't had any memorable time together. I keep setting up these romantic dates . We have a great time, but I just don't know if she would think they were romantic."

Morgan let out a burst of a short laugh that almost sounded like a grunt. "OK let me get this straight, you bag a blond Valkyrie, who basically thinks the sun rises because you make it so, and you don't have an epic romance?" Morgan shook his head when he did not see understanding in his friend's eyes. "I do believe Ellie would say that you are a Bartowski; romance will happen."

"I guess you are right, little buddy. I just want Sarah to be happy. It took so long to get here…" Chuck took a deep breath and a wry smile set on his face. "Besides, I need to have some sort of moment so that years from now, when my sister asks about it, I can have something to tell her."

"There is no way you said that and never told me." Ellie said as her eyes narrowed and a small smile was on her lips.

"Hey, if you don't believe me, ask Morgan, or even better, if you remember Sarah and I were just starting to get serious then." When Chuck did not get any more questions he said, "Now where was I before my sister's disbelief interrupted me?"

Chuck looked down when he heard his phone going off. "Morgan. It's Ellie, I will talk with you soon." Chuck pressed the answer button on his phone and put it next to his ear. "Hey, sis."

"Chuck we want you and Sarah to come look at Christmas lights with us tonight."

_I am thirty minutes away from finishing an eleven hour shift, after spending a lot of last night looking at intelligence reports._ "I will ask Sarah and see if we can go."

"Oh that's ok, Chuck. I asked her when I talked to her about the plans for tomorrow."

Chuck couldn't stop himself from a small bit of laughter. "So you weren't asking if I wanted to go, you were telling me that I was going."

"Exactly, Chuck. One of these days you will learn these are not questions."

Chuck laughed at his sister. "Yes Ma'am."

"Better little brother, better."

"So in conclusion, Sure, I want to go look at Christmas lights. I will go home and shower and change, and then we will give you a call." Chuck hit the end button on the phone and used his forehead to bump his head on the Nerd Herd counter.

When chuck closed his eyes he could see him and Sarah lying on the couch watching a movie. His right arm draped over her side. He could feel the warmth of her body on his, just lying there watching…

"Chuck, Chuck, Yo Chuck!"

Chuck shook his head and slowly stood up. "Morgan, unless you see Sarah entering this store, I do not want to hear it." When he looked at Morgan he was pointing toward the entrance to the Buy More. His head swiveled around and saw her. As soon as he did, the corners of his mouth shot up from frown to megawatt smile in less than a nanosecond. She was wearing blue jeans and a royal purple top. He laughed at himself, no matter what she was wearing it made him smile.

She walked around the counter and rose up and planted a small, but intense kiss on his lips.

Chuck looked at his girlfiend and asked. "So is that a real kiss or a cover kiss?"

Sarah flashed her gorgeous blue eyes at him and said, "That is an Ellie wants us to go look at Christmas lights, and I have trouble saying no kiss."

"Not that I am complaining mind you, but what brings you hear today. I thought you were staying home?"

"I figured you could get cleaned up in castle, and maybe take a nap before we go."

Chuck looked at his girlfriend and said, "I do not deserve you Sarah Walker."

Sarah went on her tip toes and said, "I think the same thing all the time Charles Bartowski."

Sarah handed him an overnight bag and nudged him toward the door. "Now go take a nap."

Chuck took a few steps toward the break room when he paused and said, "I have a better idea. Why don't you come with me?"

Sarah chuckled before she said, "We both know what will happen if I go down there, and the result will be that Ellie will be mad at us. So no, I think I'll stay up here till you get to sleep."

Chuck shrugged his shoulders and nodded. He then looked around to see if there was anyone looking, when the coast was clear, he pressed a remote and a trapdoor opened revealing the slide leading to the castle.

Sarah just shook her head. _I am so glad I convinced Beckman that we needed an emergency escape to castle. Chuck loves that castle slide._

As Chuck and Sarah walked toward the stairwell out of Castle, Chuck stopped and held onto her arm.

"Hey I wanted to apologize. It doesn't seem like there has been much of a chance for us to be…Just us."

Sarah smiled and placed her palm on his cheek. "Don't worry about it, Chuck. There will be time."

Sarah's other hand touched his face, as she pulled him into a peck in the lips. That peck was turning into something entirely different when his phone went off. Chucks forehead dropped to Sarah's shoulder as he put the phone to his ear and said, "Hi sis. Sarah is with me at the Buy More - we are leaving right now."

After Chuck hung up the phone his head did not leave her shoulder. "I really don't know who has the worst timing, Beckman or Ellie."

It took an hour to get everyone together and finally to Woodland Hills. It had been a few years since Chuck had been out here. In past years, Ellie had always been to busy with all of her preparing, but Devon had been able to convince her not to because of the baby. By the time they got to the displays, Chuck was actually looking forward to the evening.

Once they were at Candy Cane Lane, Sarah spent as much time "Chuck watching" as "light watching". His eyes seemed to sparkle as they moved back and forth and walked from house to house. Her training enabled her to read the expressions of marks and enemies alike, but it did not take any training to see the joy on Chuck's face. Sarah nudged Chuck with her shoulder into his. "I thought you didn't wanna come to look at lights."

Chuck looked at his girlfriend and smiled as he nudged her back "I thought you didn't like Christmas."

Sarah smiled and Chuck thought he could see a faint blush on her neck before she shifted her weight and bit her lower lip saying, "That's before I met a Bartowski." Chuck smiled at Sarah and grabbed her hand, dragging her to the next set of lights.

Ten minutes later they found themselves in front of a two story home with a large window which held a huge Christmas tree. For most homes the window would have barely held what looked like an eight foot tree. It was simply decorated with white lights, red bows, and ornaments. After looking for several seconds you could make out on the other side of the room a fireplace with several stockings hanging from the mantel. Chuck slid behind Sarah and put his arms around her. When he placed his hands over hers around her abdomen he immediately got concerned. "Sarah, you're hands are freezing."

"It appears that LA was moved a hundred miles closer to the Arctic Circle. Chuck I am fine."

Chuck was about to say ok as a gust of wind whipped past them. Chuck's grip tightened around Sarah and she rested her head on his shoulder. When they looked back at the house the light in the room was on, and you could see several kids moving back and forth in the room. Once the wind had died down and a couple moments passed without Sarah moving, Chuck whispered in Sarah's ear "You ready to go see some more lights?"

Once Sarah silently nodded, they continued to walk down the street to see more lights. Although now, Sarah's hand was holding Chuck's inside his jacket. By the time they reached someone who had the bright idea to sell hot chocolate, price was not an issue. He gladly pulled a ten out of his wallet for the cocoa. Using both hands they grabbed their cups, letting the steam rise into the air as they drank the warmth inducing mixture.

They continued to walk, but their motions became more fluid and Chuck stood tall no longer looking like a turtle trying to get back in his shell.

The couple walked a little further until Chuck stopped in his tracks. "Sarah, remember that movie that Ellie likes so much…Father of the Bride?"

When Sarah raised her eyebrows and looked in thought he said "That's the movie with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton." When recognition still had not hit Sarah, Chuck had a moment of clarity. "Remember Martin Short sings that song we used to mess with Casey about. "Every party has a pooper, that's why we invited you…Party Poop-er…Party Poop-er"

Sarah's eyes shot up when she heard the lyrics. "Oh yeah, that's the one that made me think what a great dad yo… So how much longer is this little trip going to be?"

"Uh, uh, Mrs Walker, you..." Chuck said while making his arms really animated and pointed at her, "Think I would make a great father."

"Yes, I do." Sarah said, and with that she turned around and looked back at the house. The lights went up the poll at an angle around the column, and in every window there was an electronic candle. A huge wreath sat on the door with a strip of gold bells in the center. On the lawn was an image of two Cherubs kissing. In the driveway on the right you could see a basketball hoop, a bike, and tricycle sitting right next to the gate.

At that moment, Sarah was no longer standing next to Chuck; she was warm inside of a home, her face aglow from the reflection of the flames of a warm fire. She could see her eyes twinkling from the reflections of the light on the glass bulbs from the Christmas tree. Sarah could see the presents of her kids under the tree, and she than felt chuck under her, around her, all around her body as they lay on the couch waiting to help Santa on his nightly rounds. When she looked to the other side of the room and it was covered in the pictures of her _family. _

Sarah had to force herself to breathe, and when the breath left her lips again she was back on the other side of the house. She wasn't as warm, but the feeling of utter peace had not left her. She quickly turned around and looked into those gorgeous brown eyes.

"Chuck, d…." Sarah started to ask.

"Yes Sarah, you will make a fantastic mother."

"How did you know… " Sarah did finish her statement she just snuggled into her boyfriend. Once she felt surrounded by Chuck she quietly said. "Thank you."

Chuck looked down and said "What did you say?"

Sarah backed up just a bit and placed an urgent kiss on his lips. "I want it all, Chuck. The white picket fence, the wedding, the kids. Chuck, I want to be the mother of your children."

Chuck looked at his…girlfriend…his love…his future, and bent down preparing to give her the mother of all kisses.

"Chuck aren't the lights beautiful?" Ellie asked as she seemingly came from out of nowhere.

"Yeah, Bro. These lights are awesome!"

Chuck smiled and nodded, but as soon as Ellie turned away, his head lowered onto Sarah's shoulder and whispered. "It's Ellie; She, without a doubt, has the worst timing."

"Chuck, I wasn't that bad. Not to be picky, but the contest was for a Christmas story, not a Christmas Eve story."

"Well, see sis, by the time we got home and got settled in, it was well after twelve in the morning. So when we went to bed it was Christmas day. After our conversation, we decided to act on it. THAT, is a story you do not need to know."


	14. Entry L

**ENTRY L**

* * *

_Somewhere in the United States of America_

_There is an ultra top secret CIA facility._

_Hidden in plain sight,_

_It is disguised as a normal looking electronic retail store._

_But in this ultra classified facility,_

_there is a hallway filled with plain white doors._

_Some lead to power,_

_Some lead to pleasure_

_Some lead to pain_

_Some lead to all three_

_Behold, the hallway that leads to_

_The Christmas Zone._

* * *

Door #1

"Buddy, I am so psyched. A mission on Christmas day. Are you ready for this?"

Door #2

"Honestly isn't this taking things a little too extreme? The only one of us that looks good in red is Sarah"

Door #3

"Really"

Door #2

"Really"

Door #4

(Sounds of something being swished)

Door #1

"Really I'm shocked! How can you say such a thing? It's like saying that the Mona Lisa is just a picture, that Call of duty is just a game…"

Door#2

"But calling in the CIA special project division on Christmas eve, well it's just wrong. They have families too."

Door #4

"They follow orders moron. You should try it sometime."

Door #2

"I get that but come on, coming in and working all night on Christmas Eve is something above and beyond."

Door # 3

"But if you think about today's mission, Casey is a cold blooded killer. HE woke Casey up on Christmas morning after HE volun-told all of us to this mission without telling us, but at least we found out before SIX AM, unlike Casey. And now we are about to unleash the tired, unarmed, scum of the earth, caffeine deprived assassin on them. I mean these are true innocents that he wants us to lead to the slaughter. And you're not helping any here."

Door #2

"Well you are here too."

Door #3

"Point being?"

A rapid pen clicking sound starts behind Door #1

Door #3

"Later."

Door #2

"Agreed."

Door #3

"After coffee?"

Door #2

"I'll take two, it's not even seven and we've been up all night thanks to you know who."

Clicking stops

Door #4

GRRRRRRR (the sounds of fist repeatedly hitting something).

Door #3

"See Boys, going into this mission without backup or not allowing him to carry anything that goes 'boom' gets him cranky. And do we really want a cranky Casey at Christmas?"

Door #2

"It's a challenge."

(whispering)

"You did not bring any of your knives or tranq darts? Did you dear?"

(Beep) from behind Door #2

Door #3

"Now honestly, looking at that, where could I hide it?"

Door #2

"Whoa, ummm wow. Let me say thank you from the bottom of my heart for this early Christmas gift."

Door #1

"Whoo Not Awesome, no sexting before the mission, we have a rule, no sexting before the mission?"

Door #4

Grrrrr (sound of something ripping)

Door #2

"I don't remember a no sexting rule. I think you dreamt that one up little buddy."

(Beep) behind Door #3

(Beep) behind Door #2

(Beep) behind Door #3

(Beep) behind Door #2

(Beep) behind door #2 and 3 together.

(Beep) behind doors #1,2,3

Door #1

"My eyes"

Door #2

"Brain bleach!"

Door #3

"Really… I've seen bigger?"

Door #4

"In your dreams."

Door #3

"No, A cruise boat off the coast of Spain actually. I could not even get my hands around it"

Door #2

"WHA…TMI!"

Door #1

"Your kidding me, someone could actually carry that around?"

Door #2

"Guys, please, your killing me here"

Door #1

"Seriously, how could someone carry that around? It would drag on the ground"

Door #3  
"Well he did walk funny. I helped him carry it up to the poop deck actually"

Doors #1-2

"WHAT!"

Door 4

"Grrr, Get over it morons, what else would a _**well**_ trained spy do?"

Door #1 (whispering)

"How could someone carry that around? Did he use back support"

Door #4

Grrrrrrr (sound of something expensive breaking)

Door # 1

"Look at the time. It does slip away from us doesn't it? Team Bartowski - time to go do what we do best!"

The door opens and Morgan dressed as an elf carrying a bag of Christmas toys comes out and knocks on Door 2

"Let's Go Sarah" Chuck yelled as he exited Door #2 dressed as a super skinny Santa Clause turns to his life long friend "I think whatever Casey gave me to put this beard on will never come off."

"Ready to shake like a bowl full of Jelly buddy?" Morgan takes a can of compressed air and hands it to Chuck who attached the end to a hose to the middle button and instantly the suite inflates making Chuck go from a 90 pound nerd to looking like a four hundred pound jolly fat man.

Morgan looking like a kid in a toy store "Those CIA guys can do anything. Inflate-it-yourself-Santa suite, that is so cool"

Chuck just finished when they turned at the sound of Door #3 opening.

There stood Sarah in the custom very low cut Mrs. Clause outfit that left nothing to Chuck's imagination.

* * *

She immediately took a James Bond pose and turned to the boys who mouths were hanging on the ground.

"The name's Clause, Sarah Clause." The said in a deep sensual voice, then she pretended to slowly blow smoke off her finger "gun"

Satisfied over the reaction she turned around and assumed the same slack-jawed reaction she thought they gave seeing her.

Standing in Door #4 was John Casey dressed as the gingerbread man from Shrek, with a few of his special modifications

There was a Candy Cane taller than he was and at least a foot think was strapped to his back with red ribbon, a smaller cane with a bow in a gun holster at his right hip, while a coiled up piece of red liquorish was coiled up like a whip at his left hip.

He was wearing a flak jacket with cup cakes hanging where he normally would have carried grenades. Draped across his chest like ammo rounds were battery powered Christmas light twinkling in sequence. Strapped to his arms were flatten gumdrops cut to resemble throwing stars.

Casey completed the outfit with a head bandanna banana with tinsel sticking out imitating a bad hair day. Red and green 'icing' covering his face as if he applied camouflage paint, or at least if you could see it through the chocolate cigar that somehow was puffing an usual amount of green smoke, complete with sparklers soaring out of the end.

"What's your problem now?" Casey grunted and that's when they just noticed, suspended from a short curved wire hanging off the back of his belt, a piece of mistletoe and a sign "Democrat's can.." but except for an arrow pointed down, no one wanted to read the rest.

Chuck, after what seemed like forever to Casey, was the first to speak.

"Sarah when you're right, your right. Taking Casey to the children's wing of Ellie's hospital to hand out gifts on Christmas morning was not one of Morgan's better ideas."


	15. Entry M

**ENTRY M**

* * *

_December 13_

It all started with a flash.

They were curled up in the sofa watching the news. Well, actually Sarah was watching the news. Chuck was too distracted by how warm and soft she felt at his side. He barely had his eyes opened when he felt a tinkling sensation on the back of his head. After all this years, he could feel a flash before it even started. He concentrated on the TV, trying to listen to the reporter, as they showed the picture of a sturdy man in his late forties leaving a big building surrounded by reporters.

"This morning Emil Vartichenko was released from custody after the International Criminal Court found him not guilty on the charges of genocide and crimes against humanity for the murder of more than 1600 civilians on the Republic of Brantislavia, between the years 2003 and 2005. The prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno Ocampo called this 'a sad day for humanity when a monster like Vartichenko gets to walk free after committing one of the most brutal ethnic cleansing in the Twenty-First Century.'

"Mr. Ocampo had lost the case when his office failed to provide hard evidence linking Vartichenko to the mass graves found in the tiny Eastern European nation.

"And in other news . . . "

Chuck felt the familiar sensation of a flash overtake him. It was a long one, and when it finally subsided, he found himself shaking with

* * *

"General, I need an explanation," Chuck shouted at the screen when Sarah entered Casey's apartment. Apparently, they have called an emergency conference with the General and Casey stood in the back, clearly surprised by Chuck's uncharacteristic behavior.

"Agent Bartowski, Chuck," Beckman began. "Please let me explain-"

"General, how could you do it?" Chuck interjected. "Vartichenko got away because of a lack of evidence but I_ know_ that you've got the evidence. I've seen it on the Intersect: video clips, photographs, signed orders-"

"Yes, Chuck," Beckman interjected. "We did have the evidence. It was uploaded onto the Intersect cube as a last addition. At that time, we just received the reports from an agent working in Eastern Europe, and uploaded it as fast as we could. However, the server in which that data was stored was destroyed in a Ring attack, and while we had planned to do a back-up of the data stored in the Intersect cube-"

"-You never got to do it since I destroyed it," Chuck finished as realization dawned on him.

"I'm sorry, Chuck, but the only existing copy of that data in our hands is in the Intersect. All the physical evidence was destroyed by Vartichenko, and since there is no way to extract it from your head . . . " Beckman's voice trailed off.

" . . . You couldn't present the evidence in the court," Chuck finished. "So he got away because of me," he added dejectedly as he sat down on Casey's couch, his face pale.

Sarah rushed to his side and took his hand between hers as she tried to offer him some comfort. A few minutes later, Chuck got up and wordlessly left the apartment.

Sarah wordlessly looked at Beckman and Casey and left to follow him.

* * *

Sarah found Chuck sitting on their bed, legs crossed and head hanging low. She sat down beside him, legs folded under her and put a comforting hand on his knee. She noticed that he was shaking.

Unable to contain his sobs any longer, Chuck began to cry. Without knowing what to do, Sarah ran her hand through his hair, while trying to whisper reassuring words. He collapsed on the bed, his head resting on her lap as she continued to stroke his hair. They stayed like that until he sniffled.

"It is my fault, Sarah," Chuck said brokenly. "I destroyed the Intersect cube and because of that, that monster is going to walk free."

"That's not true, Chuck," Sarah rebuked him gently. "And you know it. You did what needed to be done."

"Come on, Sarah," Chuck refuted, shaking his head. "I mean, how many times we were able to do things that appeared impossible. Retrieving an Intersect cube wasn't so far-fetched. But I rushed my decision and destroyed it."

"You were a hero that day, Chuck," Sarah said with conviction. "Like always." She paused, looking at him closely. "What's this really about, Chuck?" she asked a moment later.

Chuck hesitated before replying, "I can see it, Sarah. In my head. It's all there. Everything that man did. I can see it but nobody else can. Because of that, 1600 people never got to see justice served."

Sarah didn't know what to do. Never before had she found herself in a position to have to comfort a loved one. She felt torn and powerless over her inability to bring some closure to the man she loved. In her mind, she began to calculate logistics. With her training, she knew she could do it, she could assassinate Vartichenko and bringing back some solace to Chuck.

Then Sarah looked at the man crying on her lap. Her Chuck has a gentle and kind soul. He didn't want revenge, he wanted justice, and she couldn't even give him that. When she saw him hurt, her first initial reaction was to be an agent and was ready to protect him. But he didn't need Sarah Walker the agent, he needed Sarah Walker the girlfriend.

Unable to do anything else, she bent down and kissed his forehead. She laid down behind him, her arms around his chest, her mouth next to his ear whispering words of love and comfort.

* * *

_December 19_

The last week had been difficult for both Chuck and Sarah. He was depressed and she couldn't find a way to cheer him up. She had never seen him like this, not since they got together. He wasn't feeling guilty as she first suspected, he was feeling the weight of their lives on his shoulders. Being a spy meant having the ups and downs that goes along with it. When you win, it meant that you were able to stop the bad guys, protect the innocent, and leave the scene unscathed. But when you lose, the consequences were severe.

As a team, their record was nothing short of incredible. But now, for the first time, Chuck felt the aftermath of a defeat. The destruction of the Intersect cube was necessary, and Sarah knew that he understood that. But without the benefit of a proper training, having to face the repercussions of a failure was proving too much for him.

And that damned Intersect didn't help. From time to time since that night, Sarah noticed that Chuck would fazed out, his expression becoming anguished. She supposed that he was reliving the flash. After all, the Intersect was dominated by his feelings. And now, his feelings were insisting on torturing him. Even for a trained agent, learning to live with your failures was difficult. But how could you do it when your mind keeps showing you unspeakable horrors?

_He must feel so powerless_, Sarah thought. Chuck saw something that needed to be righted and yet he can't do anything to stop it. She had always told him that he can do anything, and now he was learning, the hard way, that it wasn't true. That, in a way, she lied to him, and that broke her heart.

Sarah was sick with concern. Her Chuck was a kind man. She remembered how his voice had sounded so innocent a few years ago when he thought that the dead bodies he saw in some pictures were just people sleeping. But now, he had burned in his head the images that would disturb a more hardened man. She had talked with Casey about this, and he had confided in her some similar things he had seen in the past. The tremble in Casey's voice and the anguish in his eyes told had her that even a hardened NSA veteran was also affected by such sights, and now Chuck had to live with similar scenes ingrained in his mind.

Sarah missed Chuck: his jokes, the joy in his voice, his smile. She missed her Chuck. He needed her and yet she didn't know how to reach him. Then a plan began to form. It was difficult and it would take a lot of resources but she knew that she could do it. She look at him, sitting in the couch watching TV, his expression blank. She stood up with resolution and walked to their room.

_Hang in there, Chuck,_ Sarah thought with determination_. I'm coming for you._

* * *

_December 24_

Chuck came back home from another shift at the Buy More. Even if it the whole place was CIA/NSA substation now, he still had to work his shifts to keep up appearances even on the day before Christmas. He arrived at the apartment hoping to find Sarah there. As he entered the living room, he was surprised to find that it was empty. Removing his tie, he walked in to his room.

Sarah was waiting for him there, sitting on the bed with her legs crossed. She was wearing jeans and a red blouse, her brown boots were lying on the floor next to the bed. A laptop was on the bed in front of her.

"What's going on, Sarah?" Chuck asked curiously.

"Come here, Chuck," Sarah said patting the space beside her. "There's something I need to show you."

Chuck sat down next to her and Sarah gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she pushed the space bar on her laptop. An image of a man in military uniform appeared.

"This is General Stanfield. Remember him?" Sarah began. "You saved his life on our very first date. He was the one who arrested Vartichenko and ended his regime."

Chuck cringed when he remembered what had happened that fateful night.

"You saved him and hundreds of guests that night," Sarah continued. "You saved them without any training or experience. That's when I first knew you were a hero."

Sarah saw a little life come back to Chuck's eyes. She pressed the space bar again and a picture of a young Asian couple getting married with a third, slightly older woman at the side of the smiling couple appeared on the screen

"I'm sure you remember Mei-Ling and her brother. He got married last June and he's expecting his first daughter for January. Mei-Ling is still working for the CIA in Langley and dating an analyst. She was the one that sent me this picture."

They spent more than an hour like this. Each time, Sarah showed Chuck a picture of somebody that the he had helped or saved. She had spend the last days frantically going through their mission reports, contacting everyone that she thought might help and preparing this. She was touched by the number of people that jumped at the opportunity to help Chuck back.

The laptop eventually came to a scan of a news report of a drug bust.

"Carina sent me this," Sarah told him when she noticed the puzzled look in Chuck's face. "Last month, she stopped a gang that had teenage girls in Third World Countries into drugs, and then sold them in Europe as prostitutes. She said that, without you saving her that last time she was here, this people will still be at large. When I told her about my idea, she also offered to come here and _personally_ thank you."

"And you adamantly declined." Chuck looked at Sarah's serious demeanor to what she considers as hers with a small appreciative smile in his lips.

Sarah pressed the space bar again and this time it showed a surveillance picture of Casey and Alex sitting in a diner, laughing. It was the most relaxed Chuck had ever seen Casey.

"I took this without their knowledge," Sarah stated, without any guilt or remorse in her voice. "But this isn't about you saving Casey's life, even if you've done it several times. This is about you saving him as a person. Before coming here, I knew Casey by reputation. He was a cold-blooded and remorseless killer. Now he has a daughter, friends, and a whole family with us. He tries to hide it but I know he loves you, that he loves us. In a sense, you bring him back to life. You have that effect on agents, Chuck," she added with a shy smile.

Sarah hesitated before pressing the space bar again. Off all the pictures she had shown Chuck, this were the ones that could rekindle the worst memories for both of them. But he needed to see the pictures, so she pressed on. The next picture is of a beautiful brunette woman.

"Hannah's living in Paris. She's working for a multinational company and living with a French national. I think she's happy."

Chuck looked at Sarah. She was clearly distressed for reliving those dark days of their relationship. He took her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Chuck, I know that you don't like to think of that time. We both did some pretty stupid things back then and we both have regrets about that time. But you saved her life at the museum, and I know that a part of you still cares about her."

"I _cared_ about her, Sarah," Chuck gently stated. "But I never loved her, not like I love you."

Sarah looked at him, her eyes shinning. She rested her head against his shoulder. Pressing the space bar again, the final picture appeared. It showed a brunette woman in the streets of Rio de Janeiro

"Jill's in Brazil, working with a company that's developing cheap drugs to fight AIDS. Without you, she'd be rotting in a cell. Instead, her work could save millions of lives. Don't worry, with Fulcrum gone, the CIA's no longer looking for her."

Chuck took both of Sarah's hands into his and gave her a soft kiss. "Thank you," he said a moment later. "Thank you for making me feel better."

"Well, that's not all, Chuck," Sarah said with truth in her words. "I want you to understand how important you are, not just to me, but to the world. Come on. We're going for a ride."

* * *

They drove in silence to the hills outside the city. Once there, they alighted and looked at the lights, holding hands. Without looking at him, Sarah began, "A few years ago, the military were getting ready to take down a satellite. If it falls here, thousands could have died. But then, the world's top player of _Missile Commander_ rose up to the challenge. Thousands of people were saved that day, and they will never know that they owed their lives to you. Not to Casey, not to me. Not to the Intersect, but to you, Chuck Bartowski. I know that Beckman, Casey, and even me, we didn't acknowledge your achievements as much as we should, and for my part, I'm sorry.

"You _are_ a hero, Chuck," Sarah added with conviction. "You are my hero. Now, there is one more thing I want to show you."

* * *

They drove back to the apartment complex in comfortable silence. Chuck was lost in his thoughts but he appeared far more calm. When they arrived and entered the courtyard, Sarah went to the window of Ellie and Awesome's apartment. She gestured for Chuck to silently join her and they both looked through the lacy window.

Inside, Ellie was cooking Christmas dinner with Devon's help. At the large table, Morgan was sitting, apparently telling some amusing story. Alex looked at him and listened adoringly, a full blown grin in her lips. Casey was sitting at the other side of the table, using a glass to hide the smile that Morgan's story had provoked. Without taking her eyes from the inviting scene, Sarah said, "Everyone in there owes you their lives in some way or another; with the possible exception of Alex, but you did save her mom. You saved Ellie when she was poisoned, and Devon when he was taken by the Ring. Because of your fidelity towards your best friend, he didn't blow up in a car.

"But it's more than that, Chuck. We're a family, the first one where I felt as if I really do belong, and you are what keeps us all together."

Sarah took Chuck's hand and dragged him away from the window. She looked at him and she saw his eyes were bright with unshed tears. With a soft, almost tiny voice she said, "There is something else I need to tell you. There is someone else you saved." She took a few moments to gather herself before continuing. "That person is me. You saved me, Chuck, not just physically. Although, you did that on several occasions." She gave him a shy grin. "You saved me from the worst destiny I can possibly imagine: a life without you," she added with a tremulous smile.

Chuck took Sarah in his arms and hugged her tight. She relaxed in his embrace, in his touch and his smell for the first time in weeks. After a few seconds, they broke apart and she looked at him, her voice full of emotion. "Chuck, I-I don't believe there is a god. I don't believe in a higher power of any kind. Before I came to Burbank, I only believed in following orders and some obscure concept of the greater good. But now, I believe in something. I believe in you."

Chuck looked at Sarah, at this incredible woman who had – once again – done anything in her power to protect him and to fight for them. He took her in his arms again and gave her a long, tender, and well-deserved kiss.

"Well, Sarah, in that case, Happy Chuckmas," Chuck said, a wide grin in his face and his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Sarah laughed with delight and hugged Chuck as tightly as she could. Her Chuck was back.


	16. Entry N

**ENTRY N**

* * *

The two agents were returning from another tough mission. Last night they had been tasked to retrieve the Princess Tiara, a rare and hard to find artifact. The agents spent hours just trying to find its location. Then, they had to devise a plan to acquire it. Today, they executed the plan to perfection. Chuck entered the location first. His job was to create a distraction so Sarah could take possession of the artifact. Chuck began stumbling around bumping into things as he entered the room. When the guard's eyes flicked momentarily towards Chuck, Sarah made her move. She deftly removed the item from its stand, blended into the background and sent the prearranged signal to Chuck, who straightened up and exited the location. Sarah followed moments later, the treasure secured in a carrying case. Placing the case in the back seat of the SUV, they headed back to their base of operations for the current assignment.

"No matter how many times we do this, it always gets harder and harder," sighed Sarah from the passenger seat.

"I know, after all these years you would think it would easier."

"After today we have a couple weeks off before we need to get back. For now, let's just relax and not think about missions and work, ok?"

"I hear you hon, I hear ya."

Sarah looked out the window of the SUV. The ground was covered in a blanket of white. Trees were bending underneath the weight of the snow covering them. Sunlight glinted off the icicles that hung from the wires overhead.

Chuck entered the long drive leading up to the house they were staying at. After he parked the car, they exited and began heading to the front door.

Chuck felt a rush of wind next to his ear. Quickly scanning the area he noticed the enemy hiding behind some snow covered bushes. He grabbed Sarah's hand and pulled her behind the SUV. The rounds the rogue agents were sending in their direction impacted with the SUV, sending debris flying in all directions.

"What's your count?"

"I saw about four, maybe five. I'm not sure," replied Sarah.

"I count…" he was cut off by a round hitting next to him. The impact sent snow flying in all directions. Chuck whirled and fired two rounds in the general direction of the assailant. "SNIPER…MOVE!" he grabbed her wrist and dragged her to a small wall. He wasted no time in pushing her over it and following. Another round from the sniper hit the front of the wall. This time Sarah returned fire. She caught a glint of light in the tree next to their SUV. A muted thump could be heard as the enemy hit the ground, followed by a loud grunt of pain.

The intense battle raged for several minutes, neither side refusing to back down. Chuck and Sarah were in perfect sync. When one had to reload the other would lay down cover fire, then the process would repeat. They were running out of ammo and knew they had to end it quick. Chuck turned and looked at his wife and their eyes met. A simple nod of the head was all it took.

"Butch and Sundance?" asked Sarah.

"Blaze of glory," responded Chuck.

"Full on assault on three?" He received a nod of the head as an answer.

Gathering as much ammunition as they could carry, they made their final last ditch effort to overtake the enemy. They leaped over the wall in perfect sync with each other and charged head on towards their foes. The enemy hidden in the bushes was momentarily distracted. Sarah took advantage of it by taking out the agent farthest to the right. Chuck took out the ones on the left. They threw everything they had at the men that were attacking them. Just as they were about to overrun the enemy, tragedy struck. Two agents entered from their flank. The first round hit Sarah in the leg knocking her into Chuck as she fell to the ground. Chuck stumbled when she hit him allowing the other agent a clear shot. He didn't miss. The projectile caught Chuck square in the stomach knocking him to the ground. Sarah landed on top of him. Resigned to their fate, Sarah planted a deep kiss on Chuck's lips.

"EWWW! Mom, Dad! That's gross," came from the lump of bushes.

Chuck and Sarah broke out in hysterics at their daughter's scream. Chuck stood up the reached down to help his wife up. They started brushing the snow off each other. The children that were still in the bushes left the places they were hiding and approached the two adults.

"That's what you get for ambushing us Bethany!"

"It was Uncle Casey's idea," she replied while pointing behind them. Casey was just now making his way out of the bushes. Bethany had the eyes and facial features of her mom. Her brown hair came from her dad.

Chuck turned to around to face his onetime partner and longtime friend. "I take it you were the sniper?"

"Some things never change," he answered with a shrug. "I'd have got you if the wife hadn't hit me in the face."

"You're lucky Casey. If I knew it was you I'd have thrown it harder," Sarah said with a laugh.

"Come on guys lets head inside and warm up," suggested Chuck. "Bethany, where's Steven?"

"He's hiding behind Uncle Devon next to the tree. I think he's afraid of getting yelled at cause he knocked Mommy over." Sarah and Chuck laughed even harder at the statement made by their youngest.

"Steven, come over here and give your mom a hug!"

A blond haired boy with deep, brown eyes emerged from behind Devon and made his way across the snow covered drive. When he saw the smiles on his parents faces, he picked up his pace. Sarah scooped the boy up and twirled him around before placing a soft kiss on his forehead. Bethany made her way over to her dad where she received the same treatment. Placing both children on the ground and holding their hands they made their way inside the house.

The children's parents took several minutes to remove the children's winter clothes and hang them up to dry. Half way through the process, Bethany began calling out in earnest, "Aunt Ellie! You promised us hot chocolate after we got done with the snowball fight. Is it ready yet?"

"Yes honey, it is. But you need to finish getting you wet clothes off before I put it out."

"Can we have cookies too?"

"You need to ask you mom and dad that," came the reply from the kitchen. Steven and Bethany turned and looked at their parents with puppy dog eyes. Chuck and Sarah had stared down the barrels of many types weapons, stared death in the face and never faltered. But when the children looked at them with those puppy dog eyes, they always wavered in their resolve.

"Only a couple of cookies. Your aunts made a big dinner for us," answered Sarah.

"Thanks Mom and Dad," was the kids' collective excited response.

Several hours later, the hot chocolate and cookies were long forgotten as was dinner. The three families were sitting around the fire place relaxing after a long day. Sarah was in her normal place on Chuck's lap, Ellie and Devon were ensconced on the love seat and Casey and his wife were on the sofa. Mary, Casey's wife of six years, had her head in his lap. His hand was gently rubbing her swollen stomach. Mary was eight months pregnant with their second child.

"Hey kids, everyone go upstairs and get ready for bed. You all know who comes tonight," bellowed Casey. The one thing all the children knew was when Uncle Casey barked out orders, you listened. Five kids jumped up and ran from the room. Steven had the lead, followed by Stephanie and Devon Junior, Ellie's two kids, John Junior or JJ as he was called was called and finally Bethany. Once the kids were gone, Casey started asking questions.

"Well, you two, how'd the mission go today?"

"It was a goat rope. Those other shoppers were crazy!" exclaimed Sarah.

"We did all the research, followed all of our leads, and when we got there only one of those stinking tiaras was left," Chuck added in.

"Chuck went into his drunken shopper routine. He was knocking over displays. That's when I made my move. It was perfect spy craft 101, create a diversion. I swooped in and got it, paid and left the store."

"Maybe next year Bethany will tell you what she really wants before the last night," laughed Devon.

"She hasn't yet so I'm guessing that will never happen," answered Sarah. "Quiet, here they come."

Five sets of feet came thumping down the stairs and into living area. The children settled at their parents feet or on the pillows tossed haphazardly around the room. Chuck eased Sarah off his lap and stood. He picked up a well-used book from the table and moved to the center of the room. He gave a quick look to all those gathered around, cleared his throat and began to read, "Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house…"

He continued the long standing tradition that started years ago after the birth of Stephanie. The small group composed of family and friends would gather around the house on Christmas Eve and read the story to the children. They would spend time in reflection of how they got to where they were and where they wanted to be next year. As the families grew and their jobs got tougher, it morphed into a trip to the mountains in Colorado. For the parents it was a chance to get away from the spy world, hospitals, and finance. The children got to make snow angles, build snowmen, and throw snowballs at their parents. Then on Christmas Day, gifts would be exchanged and games would be played. This year Chuck and Sarah had a special surprise. Tomorrow on Christmas day, Sarah would announce that she was pregnant with twins and she would join Casey in retirement.

It had been a long and sometimes painful journey for the families. The yearly trips, the times spent together, proved to them that as long as you have the love of family and friends, you can achieve anything you want.

"…Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"


	17. Entry O

**ENTRY O**

* * *

"Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"I can't find Chewbacca."

Mary Bartowski expertly suppressed her grin beneath a mask of grave concern before turning to face the six-year-old boy who was tugging insistently on her left pant leg. "Where was the last place you saw him, Chuck?"

"I left him in the landing bay of the Death Star along with the rest of the crew of the Millennium Falcon because you called us down to dinner just as they were about to make their escape. But I already checked there, and in the detention facility corridor, and in the garbage masher, and _he's not there!_"

Mary was immediately thankful for the obviously thorough nature of her son's search, as it spared her an undoubtedly confusing explanation of where one might find a landing bay or a detention facility in the modest two-story Bartowski home. But the avoidance of that obstacle didn't make the task of placating the despairing child much simpler.

"I'm sure Chew… I'm sure he'll turn up. Couldn't they just escape without him in the meantime?" she ventured cautiously.

Chuck's despondency vanished, buried under an avalanche of incredulity. "He's Han's copilot! They'd never leave him there, and they need his help to escape anyway!"

The Bartowski matriarch was already hopelessly out of her depth in the discussion of a movie she'd seen once, nearly a decade earlier, and only at the insistence of the man she loved. Despite her mounting desperation, she made one last, valiant attempt to salvage the situation. "But if he's only the copilot, couldn't the pilot just fly the ship?"

"No, because Han had to go man one of the guns so they could blow up the TIE fighters that were chasing them! What was he going to do, let Leia fly the ship?" Chuck demanded indignantly.

It was evident that the idea of Leia as a pilot was ludicrous, but the reasons why were well beyond Mary's grasp. Fortunately, a reassuring masculine voice chose that moment to drift around the corner.

"Actually, Chuck, I think they would have had Leia cover one of the guns. She handled a blaster pretty well when they were pinned down outside her cell."

Mary turned gratefully to find the inevitable wry smile on her husband's face, stepping back to watch as he squatted down to meet their son's warm brown eyes with his own.

"Fortunately," Stephen continued, "there's no need to find out whether Leia could adapt to the differences between a handheld weapon and a turret-mounted one, because I happen to know where Chewbacca is."

"Where?" Chuck asked eagerly.

In answer, Stephen pointed up the stairs toward a door that was cracked open just enough to allow a glimpse at the lavender-painted walls behind it. Chuck's face immediately slipped into an expression of dread that Mary hoped would never appear there for any reason more serious than the plight of an action figure.

"Yes, son, I'm afraid it's up to you to rescue the imperiled Wookiee from a fate worse than Death Star," Stephen announced gravely.

Chuck nodded grimly before setting off on his mission, mounting the stairs at a slow but determined pace. Stephen grinned once again as he stood to join his wife in watching their younger child's upward progress.

"Don't expect me to be too appreciative of your help. It's your fault he's obsessed with those ridiculous movies in the first place," Mary grumbled.

"What can I say? The kid has good taste. Not to mention a memory like a black hole – nothing escapes. Did you notice how well he recalled the details of the plot?" Stephen asked, his eyes glinting excitedly.

Mary scowled. "As if I wasn't already convinced he was too young for Star Wars. Who shows a six-year-old a movie in which a planet gets blown up, killing millions of innocent people?"

"You were complaining a lot less when you saw the look on his face after the wrapping paper came off those particular packages this morning," Stephen countered lightly.

"True," Mary conceded reluctantly.

"And whatever else you can say about Star Wars, it'll certainly help acclimate Chuck to the idea of a girl who can handle a gun," Stephen added.

"I'd rather our son avoid having any familiarity with that idea for as long as possible, actually," Mary answered softly.

"On that note, I saw that the Director called this morning," Orion said.

"How did…" Frost shook her head bemusedly. "You had a breakthrough on your idea for identifying incoming phone numbers?"

"Indeed," Orion replied, with a smile that was more strained than usual when discussing one of his myriad technical accomplishments. "But that's not the most important point at the moment."

Frost nodded. "Graham's cover has been blown. He's alive, but he's finished as a field agent."

Orion cringed. "Any idea how?"

"It's possible he slipped up," Frost answered cautiously. "It happens to even the best from time to time. But…"

"But Graham was terminally careful, even to the detriment of the mission at times," Orion finished.

"Exactly. He's probably better suited to life behind a desk, for that very reason," Frost mused.

"So it's more likely that he was compromised by someone else," Orion concluded.

Frost shrugged. "Either way, Graham was the only other agent accomplishing anything on the Volkoff project. Which means our lives are now much, much more complicated."

Orion raised a dubious eyebrow at that pronouncement. "Compared to what they already were? Drop in the bucket." He wrapped a comforting arm around his wife's shoulders and gently directed her gaze toward the second floor, where Chuck was still gathering the courage necessary to breach the feminine sanctuary of his older sister's bedroom.

Mary relaxed against her husband, allowing herself enough momentary vulnerability to breathe a wistful sigh.

"Hey," Stephen murmured in her ear. She turned toward him and found his face sporting the crooked smile she'd fallen in love with. "Volkoff can wait. For today, at least, let's just let our lives be simple."

Mary tilted her head toward his, intending to give him the kiss he deserved for telling her exactly what she'd needed to hear. Unfortunately, the blissful silence of the moment was abruptly shattered by an explosion of youthful outrage.

"CHEWBACCA IS AT A _TEA PARTY!_"

* * *

The shot glass thumped down onto the polished oak of the bar, the sound reverberating momentarily through the sparsely occupied establishment. Mary stared morosely at the trio of empty glasses in front of her, knowing that they'd be joined by a host of identical companions by the end of the night.

The yearly ritual had arisen spontaneously over a decade earlier. Looking to spend an evening wallowing in unmolested misery, Mary had found her way into this bar, chosen because it was one of the few that was open, and climbed onto this stool. The bartender hadn't asked a single question, simply pouring the requested drinks and sliding them toward the hands that were all too ready to receive them. And for one night, the hardened spy had lowered her walls just enough to let herself remember the life she'd left permanently behind.

On her second visit, she'd been mildly surprised to find the same man behind the bar, and more than a little impressed when she'd noticed the flash of recognition in his eyes. The first shot had been waiting for her when she sat down.

At the end of her fifth visit, Mary had noticed the bartender beginning his final cleanup after she'd ordered the drink she'd intended, but had not announced, to be her last. She'd promptly counted the empty glasses in front of her, and immediately realized that she must have consumed the same number of shots every year. There were fourteen.

Two for the years it had taken to build a clandestine romance with a brilliant, albeit erratic, analyst. Three for the years they'd enjoyed with their adorable, precocious daughter. And nine for the years spent fighting to maintain the family they'd completed by adding a charming, kind-hearted son.

Mary shook her head firmly and refocused on the task at hand. The next memory back would feature Ellie refusing to open two of her presents in order to equalize an unacceptable disparity between her own pile of gifts and Chuck's. And once that scene had been relived, there were ten more years' worth of recollections to work through in this annual rite of liquid release.

She lifted her right hand to catch the bartender's attention and tilted her head leftward to follow the trajectory of her next dose of alcoholic catharsis. Wrapping it firmly in a long-practiced grip, she tossed it back in a single gulp. The burn in the back of her throat paled in comparison to the sting of the bitter thought Mary allowed herself only once a year.

_Merry Christmas, Frost._


	18. Entry P

**ENTRY P**

_The Magic of Christmas

* * *

_

Sarah Walker was up at one in the morning of Christmas Eve. She was in the kitchen baking pie and cookies half an hour later. After about the sixth dozen batch of cookies, Chuck stumbled sleepily into the kitchen.

"What are you doing, babe?" he asked, yawning.

"Just baking," Sarah said, wiping her flour covered hands on her apron. "Why don't you go back to sleep?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me, Agent Walker?" he asked, feigning suspicion.

"What? No!" Sarah said adamantly. "It's just really early."

Chuck smiled and reached for a cookie, but Sarah gently batted his hand away. "Anyway," Chuck went on, "you are not a morning person, and by the looks of it, you've been baking for a while. Besides, I don't think I've ever seen you bake. What's the occasion?"

Sarah knew she couldn't hide what she was doing that morning from Chuck any longer. Besides, she had considered asking him for help. She had just prevented herself, because she knew that Chuck had had a hard time this year. He had to deal with the arrival of his mother, the loss of the Intersect, and the recovery of said Intersect. She didn't want to add another thing to his plate, especially since she knew he was really sensitive to things of the world.

"So," Chuck began, looking amused, "are you going to answer me?"

"Um, well, Chuck," Sarah started, "this is just something I do every year around this time. Before, it was just something I did, but after I joined the agency, it was something required. So for the past several years, Casey and I have been baking and cooking various things together."

Chuck looked puzzled, but he pressed on, "But why do you guys do this, Sarah? What is it for? To keep your cooking skills in shape?"

Sarah laughed, "No, Chuck. An agent for the United States government has to volunteer his or her time at an orphanage, halfway house, homeless shelter, or other such organization. They must have at least fifteen hours of service each year. I usually get around three on Thanksgiving, five during Christmas, and I pick up the rest throughout the year."

"You're doing this to help out the less fortunate?" Chuck looked at Sarah in awe. "That's amazing, Sarah."

"Thanks," Sarah said meekly, blushing. "It's no big deal, really. I mean, it's required and everything. Plus, Casey donates like fifty hours a year. I think one year he had about seventy-two, and he was in the middle of a major mission that year."

"Yeah, that's cool," Chuck agreed, "but you said you used to do this before you joined the CIA. I think that's pretty cool."

"Well, Chuck," Sarah said, looking embarrassed, "before when I did it, it was because of my dad. You see, we would spend our nights at shelters or something, and then rip off the Salvation Army. When I grew older, I started feeling guilty. Like really guilty. Because when I was a kid, I didn't really know that what I was doing was wrong. It was just something I did with my dad, you know? But I started feeling bad for all of the things I did, so I started volunteering at the kinds of places that we would stay at. It made me feel better."

Chuck didn't say anything for a really long time. He just gazed at Sarah, like she was the most amazing person. After a few moments, Sarah started feeling uncomfortable.

She cleared her throat, "Um, Chuck, do you want to help me bake these things? Casey's on sandwich and soup duty."

Without a word, Chuck just started helping Sarah. They baked for roughly an hour, without saying a word. But neither one cared. It was fun. They liked the time together, without thoughts. They were just two people baking Christmas cookies and apple pies. It felt normal.

As the two of them were icing the gingerbread cookies, Chuck broke the silence. "Sarah, why do you guys need to make food?"

Sarah looked a little confused, "Have you never volunteered at a shelter, Chuck?"

"Well, no," Chuck answered. "I always wanted to, but I never felt I had the time. Christmas time was always busy at the Buy More."

"That's okay, Chuck," Sarah said. "You don't need to make excuses. Anyway, the shelters like the servers to bring food. It helps, especially when it is prepared. And, also, you can never have too much food. Just because you may serve everybody once, people want more than one serving, most of the time. I mean, they probably haven't eaten a proper meal in a while. Besides, if you have even more left over, then you can send some leftovers with the people as they go."

"That's nice," Chuck smiled.

The pair continued to work in silence. They were almost done icing the last batch of cookies. Sarah looked up at the clock on the wall. It was three in the morning.

"Hey, Chuck," Sarah said, "it's time for me to meet Casey outside. We have to be up at the shelter at four. Thanks for helping out."

Chuck looked at her. Silent. Wondering. "Um, Sarah, am I not going to go with you?"

"Do you want to go, Chuck?" Sarah asked, surprised.

"Well, yeah," Chuck said. "I mean, with the way you describe it, I think any person in their right mind would be crazy not to want to go. Besides, I am also a government agent, remember?"

Sarah smiled, "Yes, Chuck, I remember. But, you see, agents aren't required if they're still new to the job. You're only on your fourth year."

"Why aren't agents required in their fourth year or before?" Chuck asked.

"Well, it's just that the adjustment from being a civilian to an agent is not easy. It takes a while to get used to it," Sarah explained. "And then if you do something like volunteer, there's just no way you will be able to ignore feeling something about it. That would ruin your training. It's only after six years that you are required to go. But it is always encouraged to help out. You can go if you want though."

"Great," Chuck said, brushing off his hands and standing up from his seat at the kitchen table. "I'm going to go get dressed. I'll be right back. Don't leave without me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Sarah said, smiling as he went upstairs.

* * *

Chuck, Sarah, and Casey walked into the _James Town Baptist Church _in downtown Los Angeles. The church had been transformed for the next few nights. Instead of lines of pulpits, there were lines of cots with layers of thin sheets and blankets. The kitchen and serving hall was in the back. Sarah led the way.

"Hey, Sarah, Casey," said a young man with a clipboard, approaching them as they walked through the door of the kitchen with their armloads of food. "Who's this?"

"Hi, Michael," Sarah said, and the friendliness and tone of familiarity in her voice made Chuck a little jealous. He would have to watch those two.

"I'm Chuck," he said, introducing himself.

"Hello, Chuck," Michael greeted him, taking his eyes off of Sarah. "Are you planning on working in the kitchen or serving today?"

"Um, whatever Sarah and Casey do, I guess," Chuck replied.

"Oh," Michael said with a distressed expression on his face, "I'm sorry, you can't do that Chuck. You see, Sarah and Casey are part of the Santa's Helpers group. They do everything, and from the looks of you, I'd say you were a newbie. So, pick, serving or cooking?"

"I'm sure I could do whatever it is Sarah and Casey are going to do," Chuck said. "I mean, how hard can it be?"

"It's really hard," Casey said. "You literally have to do everything, almost at the same time. Serve, cook, clean, help the people, and all while being friendly. It's quite stressful. Can you seriously tell me you can do all of that with a huge smile and a friendly tone of voice all day long?"

Before Chuck could respond, Sarah said, "He would like to help cook, Michael. He's one of the gentle souls."

"I see," Michael said, writing Chuck's name on the list of volunteers. "You will be helping Muriel with the soup. "

"Good," Casey grunted. "Muriel is a good woman."

"But wait," Chuck said, "what does 'gentle soul' mean exactly, Sarah?"

"It means that you would take everything to heart, Chuck," she replied. "These people, all of them, look so sad. You have a very gentle heart, and that's part of what I love about you. Just this time, please help in the kitchen. I don't think you can handle it this year."

Chuck sighed, "Okay, Sarah, I can help Muriel in the kitchen. Plus, I can peel potatoes like a pro."

"Good," Michael said, "now go get in the kitchen. Muriel is the one by the stove with the soup. Sarah, Casey, come with me. I want you to introduce you to the Jenkins family. I think you guys would like them." And with that, the four people split up, Chuck heading towards the stove, and Sarah and Casey following Michael out into the serving hall.

* * *

Sarah and Casey were shocked at how many people were in the serving hall. It seemed to them that every year, more and more people squeezed into the place. And while neither of them was particularly religious, they still were grateful to the church for opening their doors to the people in need this time of year. They followed Michael over to a ragged group of people in the corner of the crowded room. The group was comprised of a tired mom and three young children.

"Hi, guys," Michael said brightly. "This is Sarah and Casey."

"Hello," both Sarah and Casey greeted the family.

"Guys," Michael said, addressing the two agents, "this is Melinda. Zach here is the oldest; he's four. Then there's James at three. Finally there's Suzie; she's one and a half."

"Hi," said Melinda, meekly. It was if she didn't want to be judged by these two well-dressed strangers. "You know, I haven't always had to go to shelters. No, not since I was a little girl. It's just that this year was bad. Really bad. Their father left me and I just couldn't pick up enough hours at the diner, especially with the kids to look after. I couldn't afford to pay my babysitter anymore. And—"

"That's okay," Casey interrupted her. "You don't have to justify yourself to us. We're here to help."

Melinda looked taken aback. "How are you two going to help us? Give us a little food, maybe. Let us stay the night. That's nice and all, but I don't think that's going to work. My kids aren't getting the Christmas that they deserve, and not for the first time either."

"We've got that covered, ma'am," Sarah said. "You guys just sit back and relax. Get some food."

And with that Sarah, Casey, and Michael walked away to get acquainted with the other guests.

"Michael," Sarah began, "why exactly did you show us that family?"

"Melinda said she knew you," Michael replied, shrugging. "Guess not."

But that was when Sarah realized it. She hadn't recognized the worn-out looking woman when she saw her, and she certainly had not known about the children. But Melinda Jenkins was her best friend from childhood. They used to be like sisters.

"Wait," Sarah said, stopping, "I do know her, Michael."

"What do you mean, Sarah?" asked Casey. "It didn't look like you recognized each other at all."

"That's because I didn't," Sarah said, "until now. You see, back when I was little, I met this girl at a shelter much like this one. Her name was Linda. We instantly became best friends. Then we were separated, but we found each other at another shelter. And this happened for several years, then we lost touch. Casey, we really have to make Christmas special for them."

"You've got it," Casey said, breaking away from the group. "I know just the thing."

"Casey," Michael called as he walked away, "not yet! Everybody hasn't been served! It's too early!"

But Casey was already well out of the serving hall.

* * *

Back in the kitchen, Chuck was learning the ropes. Muriel had explained how to peel the potatoes the right way. The way that would make them taste the best, and still have enough nutrients. He had peeled enough potatoes for the pots of stew, that he had moved on to sandwich duty. He was amazed that they needed so much food. It seemed like they were preparing way too much.

"Muriel, do we really need _this much _food?" he asked for the hundredth time.

Instead of replying, again, Muriel just took him by the hand and led him to the door that led to the serving hall. "Look," she said simply.

Chuck gazed at all of the people, in various forms of poverty. He soon discovered that it was hard not to stare. It was shocking that so many people could fit into such a small room. Before he could even really take it all in, Muriel shut the door.

"You see," she said, "we really do need this much food. More, actually. But we work with what we've got. Now why don't you keep making sandwiches until your friends come back to get you?"

Chuck did as he was told and started making sandwiches. He tried to make them perfect. He had just seen the many people that so desperately needed the food he was making. He was also trying to work faster than he had been before, when he had not thought they needed to make so much food. His renewed effort was interrupted by the reappearance of Sarah.

"Hey, Muriel," Sarah said, "can I borrow Chuck for a little bit? He hasn't ever volunteered and he needs to see the best part, which is about to start."

"This early?" asked Muriel.

"Yeah," Sarah answered. "Casey decided it was time. So, can I?"

"Of course, dear," Muriel said. "I think he helped enough, for now."

"Thanks," Sarah said as she took Chuck's hand and led him out into the serving hall.

They were just in time to see Casey, dressed as Santa, enter the serving hall from the other entrance. He was carrying several large bags of gifts, and was followed by several other people dressed as elves carrying the same. But Sarah redirected Chuck's stare from Casey to the people in the serving hall. The little children were so excited, and the adults looked awash with joy. It was the most amazing thing Chuck had ever seen.

"Ho, ho, ho!" Casey said, sounding incredibly jolly and so unlike himself. "Merry Christmas!"

Casey and the elves started handing out gifts, and Chuck and Sarah just looked on at the scene.

"Does he have a present for every kid here?" Chuck whispered, not wanting to disrupt the magic of what was going on before him.

"Yes," Sarah said, simply, "every child here, and every adult. We take this job seriously, Chuck."

Chuck didn't say a word. He just smiled, as he watched Casey and the others pass around gifts. Soon the bags were empty, and everyone looked happy. Casey walked up to Sarah and passed her a smaller bag.

"These are for the Jenkins," he whispered into her ear. "I saved them for you to give."

"Thanks," Sarah said, taking the bag. "Really, thanks."

Sarah started walking over to the Jenkins. Chuck tried following, but Casey stopped him. "She needs to do this by herself."

* * *

"Hey, Linda, these presents are for you guys. Santa," she said, motioning toward Casey, "brought them for you. He said that he knew you guys were being very good this year."

Sarah handed out the presents to the three small children. Then she handed the last present to Melinda.

"Look, mommy!" exclaimed Zach. "It has our names!"

Sarah chuckled. She was always surprised at how quickly Casey could match faces to names. "Linda, do you remember me?"

"Of course I do," Melinda answered, as if it was a stupid question. "Why wouldn't I, Sam?"

Smiling, Sarah said, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Melinda said. And the two friends just hugged each other, silently.

"And that," Casey said, observing Sarah and Melinda from across the room, to Chuck, "is what Christmas is all about."

Chuck nodded in agreement. The smile on his face was so big, that he couldn't seem to talk. Finally, he was able to ask, "Is this what volunteering always feels like, Casey?"

Casey seemed to think about his answer. "Yeah, Chuck, it is."

"Casey?" Chuck asked, excited.

"Yeah, Chuck?" Casey said, happy that Chuck seemed to enjoy his first time as a volunteer.

"Can we do this again next year?" Chuck asked, surprising Casey.

"Yes, Chuck," Casey said, "we can do this next year. And the year after that, and the year after that. Now let's go see what else there is to do."

"Great!" Chuck said, as Casey steered him back into the kitchen. "And to think, it's only 9 o'clock in the morning!"


	19. Entry Q

**ENTRY Q**_  
_

_Chuck vs The Bearded Idol

* * *

_

Heavy morning mists parted to reveal the vine-shrouded temple entrance. Rubbing his lightly stubbled chin, the man contemplated what treasures could reside within the ancient structure. A second, distinctly feminine shadow slid into place next to his own.

_Dah, da..dat..dahhh, dah..de..dahhh. da...da..dat..dahhh...da..de,.dah..dah...dah_

"Okay Chuck, two questions. What are we doing here, and what's with the theme song from Raiders?" Sarah peered intently, trying to pierce the shadows of the temple doorway.

"Sarah, I've already told you. I'm not Chuck," he said before standing tall and thrusting out his chest. "You may call me Burbank Bartowski. Unassuming Nerd Herder by day, roguishly handsome collector of antiquities by night."

"Yeah, but it's morning, Chu...er Burbank. Oh, wait, I remember now. Burbank. He was the cute little dog on that show Hart to Hart, right? I knew I recognized that name from somewhere." Sarah smiled as she thought of simpler times, before the cons, before the spying. "Still doesn't explain the music though."

_Music continues in the background._

Chucks responded with a slightly unheroic squeak in his voice, "I'm not named after the dog!" Calming himself, he continued, "To explain, I'm the hero and all heroes have theme music."

"Uh huh," Sarah replied in poorly feigned enthusiasm. "Anyhow, is this dream normal for you, or a result of the added stress due to not having my Christmas present picked out yet? Cause I gotta say, seems a little weird. I also don't appreciate the outfit. Really Chuck? A pith helmet and bikini?"

Chuck blushed. "My dream, my rules. And, the name's Burbank," he growled in manly tones.

"Okay...okay, it's your dream." Sarah threw up her hands in surrender. "I hope you don't talk in your sleep. The real me might not appreciate being objectified like this."

Testily, Chuck replied, "I don't talk in my sleep."

"And you would know, being asleep and all." Sarah grinned maliciously.

Long strides carried Chuck swiftly to the glowering archway and away from the conversation. "You are so right, Sarah. I believe it best that I face the dangers, traps and pitfalls that lay within on my own. Considering how you're not dressed for such things, wait for me by the airplane."

"My hero," was the last thing he heard. There may have been sarcasm.

_At this point, the music swelled and Chuck skillfully defeated all obstacles in a well directed montage. _(This dream sequence has been edited for content and to run in the time allotted.)

Chuck reached down for his battered fedora. Absently, he brushed away the cobwebs as he stared at the little golden figure on it's pedestal. He circled slowly, looking for any signs of a booby trap. Resting the hat upon his head, Chuck knelt down to get a better look at the little bearded idol. With a critical eye, he performed some quick calculations. Our hero, Burbank Bartowski, then reached into his jacket and pulled out a $5 foot-long Meatball Marinara from Subway.

Weighing it carefully in his hand, Chuck cautiously extended his other to grasp the small statue. Almost faster than the eye could follow, he snatched the figurine from the pedestal and replaced it with twelve inches of sandwichey goodness. The tension was palpable as Chuck waited for some reaction to his act of thievery. His first indication that all was not well presented itself as darker tones in the soundtrack.

"Dude, you know that trick never works. I like the hat." The little statuette blinked golden eyes as it looked up.

"Thanks Morgan," Chuck said. "It came with the dream sequence."

Ersatz Morgan craned it's neck to take in the temple chamber. "Wow! You really don't have a present picked out for Sarah yet do you? This is some stress response, buddy." Nodding to the sandwich, he added, "Apparently, you ate too close to bedtime as well. Shame on you Chuck. You know your digestive system is a little too delicate for that sort of thing." Cocking his head to the side, Morgan listened. "I think you left the television on too. Really? After the talk we had about last month's electric bill?"

"For the last time, it's not Chuck. I'm Burbank, Burbank Bartowski. Roguish collector of antiquities and...oh forget it." He saw Morgan about to speak and added, "No, I'm not named after the dog from Hart to Hart. Yes, I know he was cute."

"You have to admit, Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers made a nice couple," shiny Morgan sighed. "But, back to business. Do you at least have any good ideas for a present?"

"No, nothing. I've been driving myself crazy trying to come up with the perfect gift. This is our first Christmas as a real couple and it has to be perfect."

Little gold Morgan tsked. "Chuck, Chuck, Chuck. You're over-thinking the whole thing. Sarah is a worldly woman, successful in her field, has enjoyed the best of everything in her life. But you sir, you have the ability to give her something she's never had. What has the daughter of a con-man never had? What would the on the go spy have missed throughout her entire adult life? A completely normal Christmas among family."

"What do you mean by a completely normal Christmas?" asked Chuck, furrowing his brow.

"You know. Getting drug out of bed way before you're ready to get up. Having to spend time with relatives you don't want to spend time with. Receiving a ghastly looking sweater and pretending you love it. Telling your mom that her special, holiday potatoes are amazing even though the family dog also turns up his nose when you slide the plate under the table. All the things that will be happening in millions of homes all across this great nation of ours on that special day." Morgan folded his little gilded arms across his chest, looking smug.

"I think I understand what you're getting at. You think I should give Sarah a totally normal day. The kind of day that normal girlfriends will be having with their normal boyfriends. It's the one thing she's never really had. Morgan, that's genius. You are like my own little bearded Buddha." Chuck smiled down at his friend.

"Whoa buddy." Morgan's little hand rose in warning. "I can be your Buddha life partner, but there will be no rubbing of this wise man's belly."

_ruuummmmmbbbbbbllllllleeeee..._

Chuck crossed his heart. "You have a deal."

_ruuummmmmbbbbbbllllllleeeee..._

Glancing nervously over his shoulder, Chuck asked, "Morgan, what is that ominous noise drowning out my theme music?"

"It's a giant rolling boulder of course. The epiphany has been reached, time for the wheels to spin back into motion. I'd start running if I were you, Chuck." Tiny gold Morgan hopped into Burbank Bartowski's knapsack, pulling the flap closed behind him.

Vibrations slid up Chuck's legs, precursor to impending, action movie doom. He didn't need to look to know what was coming. "Feet don't fail me now." Like a shot, he sprinted for the doorway and freedom beyond. At the last possible moment, when all seemed lost, he dove through the imposing arch...

_Thump..._

"Ouch!" he cried out from the floor. It took a moment for him to recognize the familiar trappings of his living room in Echo Park.

"You okay down there?" Sarah called from the dining table.

Looking up from breakfast, Morgan commented, "I don't know how many times I've told him that late nights, television and food are a recipe for bad dreams. His digestive system is so delicate. I remember a night of video games, red vines and Mountain Dew. Our boy Chuck dreamed of a 7 foot tall, licorice stick figure bent on world domination using stolen alien technology from the Roswell crash site."

Sarah chuckled as she dropped her bowl in the kitchen sink. Walking over, she helped Chuck to his feet, kissing his cheek. "I got lonely, you never came to bed. Is something bothering you?"

"No, no, I'm fine, everything is fine." Chuck smiled and pulled her close.

"Good. You've been stressed all week. I hope it isn't about Christmas. You know that anything you get for me is going to be perfect." Sarah rested her head on his shoulder. "All I need is you to make it perfect. Although, a pith helmet and bikini would be cool too." She slipped from his arms and ran for the hallway, laughing. "Shower time!"

"Oh crap. Maybe I do talk in my sleep." Chuck hurried after Sarah. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

Morgan heard the bathroom door shut. Shortly, peals of laughter echoed down the hallway, mixed with the spray of water. He smiled. "I am like a little bearded Buddha."


	20. Entry R

**ENTRY R**

* * *

Christmas Eve is one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking days of the year for children around the world. But Chuck Bartowski's level of nervousness and excitement was equal to the children's this Christmas Eve.

He was going to propose to his girlfriend... His kick-ass ninja spy girl, Sarah Walker. He'd known that he wanted to propose since before she'd admitted to seeing his proposal plan. When Volkoff had pointed that gun at Sarah, time had stopped for Chuck, and all he could think of was that he hadn't proposed.

Chuck would have proposed immediately following the incident, but then Devon had given him Orion's computer and he'd re-downloaded the Intersect. Beckman and Casey had been thrilled and insisted on testing Chuck and the Intersect. Sarah hadn't been allowed to participate in the tests for fear of emotions compromising the results. Beckman had ordered her to return to D.C. for a re-certification exam.

Chuck was now waiting impatiently for Sarah's return, watching the throngs of people bustling through the LAX as they made their way to their gates. He watched all the children, bouncing and talking, excited about Christmas the next day. He watched the tired parents trying to keep their children from running off. His favorite groups to watch though, were the couples, the ones who were obviously in love. Those couples who were walking by, hand-in-hand, oblivious to their surroundings.

"What're you staring at?" Sarah's voice came from behind him.

"_GAH_!" Chuck jumped, whirling around. He was unnerved by Sarah's sudden appearance.

Sarah laughed, glad to see her boyfriend and relieved that she was finally home. "So, are you going to tell me what you were looking at?"

Chuck blinked a few times, still trying to wrap his mind around Sarah's sudden appearance, "Uhh...Umm..." his tongue stumbled, unable to form words. "I...I was...looking at the people."

"The people?" Sarah asked, cocking an eyebrow, "practicing your spy skills?"

"Not exactly," Chuck said, a goofy smile spreading across his face. "I was just watching all the hustle and bustle of Christmas Eve."

"Then what were you staring and smiling at when I walked up? Sarah asked, trying to figure her boyfriend out.

"Couples," Chuck said, taking Sarah's suitcase from her and offering her his hand.

"Couples?" Sarah repeated, brow furrowing in confusion as they began to walk towards the exit, hands swinging carelessly.

"Yeah, couples." Chuck nodded vigorously, finally feeling as though he had the upper hand, but only for a moment.

"What about these couples?" Sarah's grip on Chuck's hand became painfully tight as she squeezed and twisted, taking the upper hand right back from her boyfriend as he almost collapsed in pain.

"Okay, okay," Chuck yelped, she loosened her grip, a smug smile on her face. "I was looking at how much in love they were. And I was thinking about how much I love you." This last part was mumbled hurriedly.

Sarah felt her face grow hot as she smiled shyly, "Really?"

Chuck grinned down at her and stopped abruptly, using Sarah's momentum to swing her in front of him. Chuck pulled Sarah towards him until she was almost flush, pressed tight against him. "Yeah really." He lowered his head, gently brushing his lips against hers.

Sarah moaned, wanting more, but he pulled back, leaving her yearning for more. He tried to take a step back, but she wasn't having it. She'd been almost a month, and she'd missed him. Still holding one of his hands in hers, she pulled him closer and grabbed the back of his neck and tugged him towards her.

Before Chuck could comprehend what she was doing, her lips were on his. He felt her release his hand as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. He sighed against her mouth and began moving his hands up and down her back frantically.

Chuck felt Sarah's tongue probe his lips and he parted them, granting her access. Their tongues fought for dominance in an age old battle, neither of them winning, but neither of them losing. Sarah moaned as Chuck bit her lip and gently tugged, she bucked her hips against his, smiling as she heard him moan.

Finally they had to part, the need for oxygen overwhelming everything else. They stood there, foreheads still touching, gulping in air, as they slowly became aware of their surroundings.

Sarah blushed as she realized that a lot of people had stopped and were staring. She buried her face in Chuck's chest, cheeks burning as Chuck stammered an apology to the onlookers.

Picking her suitcase back up, Chuck began to lead Sarah out, followed by catcalls, applause, and many lewd comments that made Chuck and Sarah blush.

When they finally reached the car, Sarah turned to Chuck, "I think I finally understand your problem with PDA."

Chuck laughed, "I was actually okay with that particular display."

Sarah smiled, "And why is that?"

"Because I _really_ missed you." Chuck said, leaning over to place a chaste kiss on Sarah's lips.

"I missed you too,:" Sarah said, climbing into the car and smoothing her black coat down.

Chuck shut the door behind her, walked around the car, and put her suitcase in the trunk. Letting out a puff of air, he ran a hand through his short brown hair, wondering what could have made him cut all his curls off. With a quick glance at his clothes, checking to make sure there were no stains on his Faux Paws T-shirt, jeans, or windbreaker; he smiled at himself in the window and walked around to the driver's door.

"Got something going on stud?" Sarah teased. Having seen him check his appearance through the rear-view mirror.

Chuck silently cursed he had forgotten about Sarah's spy-skills, but only momentarily. Sighing he said, "Yeah, kinda."

"What?" Sarah asked, genuinely curious.

"It's kinda a secret." Chuck said, starting the car and beginning to back up.

"Top secret?" Sarah teased again.

Chuck turned and raised his eyebrows in the famous 'Bartowski eyebrow dance' and answered, "Oh yeah."

Sarah gulped, wondering what on earth her boyfriend could possibly have planned.

* * *

One hour later they arrived at their first destination. They had stopped thirty minutes earlier only for Chuck to ask Sarah to put on a blindfold. Though every instinct in her had screamed "_Don't!_" she had done so anyways, albeit begrudgingly; she trusted Chuck implicitly. She heard the car stop and she reached up to remove the blindfold, but Chuck's soft touch stopped her.

"Not yet, Sarah. Wait here." She heard the door open and close. For a minute she had the irrational fear that he was going to leave her there forever. Her fear was assuaged though as her door opened and she felt Chuck reach across her to unbuckle the seat belt. Taking her hand he said, "Come with me."

She nodded, getting out of the car by herself, not trusting Chuck to do it safely. Once she was out of the car, she straightened her coat and hair as much as she could without sight. "Where are we Chuck?" she was extremely curious.

Chuck laughed softly, tucking her arm through his securely, "You'll see in a minute. Trust me."

"I do," Sarah said, leaning her head on his shoulder, "This just goes against every instinct I have."

Sarah felt Chuck place a soft kiss on the top of her head. "I know it does, but we're almost there."

Sarah felt Chuck open the door to wherever they were and a barrage of smells hit her senses. They were definitely in a restaurant, that much she knew, but she didn't know where they were. The strongest smell was that of Sizzling Shrimp, something she had grown to love during her time in Burbank. The underlying smell though, was that of a Mexican restaurant, "We're in a restaurant aren't we?"

"Yes, no fair using your spy skills though, just a few more seconds and you can take the blindfold off." Chuck said, leading Sarah over to a booth and helping her sit down.

"Now?" Sarah turned her face towards him expectantly.

"Hold on," Chuck said, untying the blindfold but still covering her eyes with his hands. She smiled as she heard the soft strains of 'Feeling Good' begin to play.

Chuck slowly moved his hands away from Sarah's eyes and kissed her on the cheek. Sarah blinked, trying to adjust to the dim lighting, and gasped, smiling. Chuck had brought her to the restaurant they had gone to on their very first date, before Sarah had told Chuck she was a spy.

"What're you up to Chuck?" she asked as Chuck sat down across from her.

"It's a secret," Chuck said, one of his broad, cheesy, signature smiles spreading across his face.

"Can I take your orders?" a familiar voice came from beside them.

"Casey?" Sarah asked incredulously, trying not to laugh at Casey's waiter attire. "What are you doing here? What's going on?"

Casey shrugged unconvincingly, "No idea, Walker. I do know that Morgan is cooking and if you don't hurry up and say you're ready to eat, he might burn down the restaurant."

"Liar," Sarah said, referring to his denial of knowledge, "And why is Morgan cooking?"

"I rented the place for the night, with the CIA's help of course." Chuck answered with a smile.

"I still say it's a misappropriation of taxpayer money." Casey grumbled, obviously continuing an argument he and Chuck had been having earlier.

"I made sure Beckman was okay with it," Chuck reassured, ignoring Casey's reasoning.

"I'm sure you did," Sarah said, excited about what the night might hold. She and Chuck told Casey they were ready to eat and he left to tell Morgan.

"So," Chuck began awkwardly, "How did your re-certification exam go?"

"Fine," Sarah said, "I passed. How were the tests?"

"Ughh!" Chuck groaned, making Sarah laugh. He smiled, "How was the rest of your trip?"

"Lot's of briefings, but I was able to sell my apartment while I was there."

Chuck's face split into a wide grin, "That's good."

Sarah smiled, pleased that he'd understood that she was saying she'd stay no matter what. Still smiling, she leaned across the table to meet him. He kissed her, not chastely, but not as passionately as the one at the airport.

"Keep it in your pants Bartowski, you too Walker!" Casey said as he brought them their drinks.

Sarah held back a laugh, "How did you get roped into this Casey?"

Casey shrugged, "I pushed Chuck a little too hard during his tests," he looked at Chuck admiringly, "Your boyfriend is a very scary man when you aren't around Walker."

Sarah looked at Chuck and smiled at him, causing his face to turn bright red. They continued to talk, both with exciting news neither was ready to share with the other.

"Dinner is served," Morgan said, coming out of the kitchen dressed in a chef's uniform and carrying two steaming hot plates of sizzling shrimp.

They both took a bite of their food and were pleasantly surprised at the taste.

"Morgan, this is the best Sizzling Shrimp I've ever had!" Sarah said.

"Yeah little buddy," Chuck said, "Looks like you learned something in Hawaii after all!"

Morgan beamed proudly and Casey growled, loudly, from the kitchen, obviously jealous of the praise Morgan was getting.

Chuck and Sarah ate in silence, enjoying the delicious creation of one Morgan Guillermo Grimes.

When they'd finished eating, Chuck nodded at someone behind Sarah. She tried looking, but he stopped her, "Unh-uh, don't ruin the surprise."

She sighed then gasped as Casey set a large slice of chocolate cake in front of her, complete with candle.

"Happy Birthday Sarah." Chuck said with a smile.

"How'd you know?" Sarah asked, tears in her eyes.

"Your dad sent you a package that says 'Don't open until your birthday, December 24th.'" Chuck said.

Oh, well thank you Chuck. I appreciate all the trouble you went through for my Birthday."

"The night's not over yet." Chuck raised an eyebrow suggestively, "Would you like to eat that now? Or would you rather have Morgan take it back home?"

"Morgan can take it home." Sarah said quickly, jumping up quickly, excited to see what came next.

* * *

The rest of the night was spent recreating their first date. Complete with a run through the hotel and trip to the top of the building where Sarah had told Chuck Bryce was a spy. The only things the night didn't include, were a high speed car chase, guns, or a bomb that had to be diffused with a computer virus.

"They ended up on the beach in Malibu, in their spot. Chuck had brought a blanket for them to sit on and another that he tucked across them to keep them warm. They sat there silently, staring out at the ocean, Sarah's head on Chuck's shoulder, his arm around her waist.

As the sky began to lighten, Chuck stood up, startling Sarah awake. He pulled Sarah to her feet and stood facing her, holding both her hands in his.

Chuck took a deep breath before beginning, "Three years ago we sat in this very spot and you asked me to trust you, and I do to this day. Today we're standing her and I want to ask you to do the same thing."

"Chuck I do..."

"Sarah let me finish please," she nodded and he continued. "Sarah, that day Volkoff almost killed me I realized there was something that I needed to tell you."

Sarah gasped as Chuck got down on one knee, she had to blink back tears as he pulled out a small ring box and opened it. She gasped at the ring, the band was thin white gold with flowers etched all around it. The diamond was a marquise cut surrounded by Sapphire and Blue Topaz stones.

"Sarah Walker, I love you and I want to know if you'll please put your trust in me for the rest of your life. Sarah, will you marry me?"

Sarah placed a hand over her mouth, unable to speak because of the lump in her throat. Instead she nodded, smile growing as she went down on her knees to join Chuck. Finally she was able to speak again,. "Yes Chuck Bartowski, I will marry you. I love you."

Chuck grinned, "The ring was mom's, look at the engraving on the inside. I thought it kind of ironic."

Sarah took the ring and looked at the engraving, a smile spreading across her face as she read the engraving aloud, "'Trust Me Like I Trust You.' You're right, that's pretty ironic."

"Merry Christmas Sarah." Chuck said, leaning over and kissing his fiancee, letting his lips linger on hers.

"Merry Christmas," Sarah whispered, "And Happy Father's Day."

Chuck's eyes grew wide as he understood Sarah's meaning, "Are you serious?"

Sarah nodded, a wide smile on her face. Chuck's grin grew even bigger as he leaned over and kissed Sarah again, "I'm gonna be a dad!"

* * *

Five years later, Chuck and Sarah sat side by side, watching as their three children played on the beach. They'd gotten married in April of 2011 and Sarah had gone into labor in July of the same year, giving birth to twins. Now four years old, Samantha Eleanor, was the spitting image of her father. Dark curly brown hair, brown eyes, and a personality that rivaled Chuck's, she was always going, from the time she woke up to the time she went to sleep at night. Her twin brother John Stephen, was the complete opposite, taking after his mother in every way.

Two years earlier, on December 1st, Sarah had given birth to their third precious miracle, Micah Elizabeth Bartowski had been almost three months early and had spent the first five months of her life fighting for it. Now at two, you wouldn't be able to tell she had almost died at birth, she was a healthy, happy little girl. With dark brown hair and blue eyes, she was a mix of the best parts of both of her parents.

"Happy Birthday Sarah, "Chuck said, kissing his wife softly on top of her head, a hand on her large belly.

Suddenly Sarah's face changed, "It's time Chuck."

It was time for Sarah to give birth to their fourth child. They had opted out of finding out the gender, instead choosing two names, Natalie Margaret for a girl, and Joseph Morgan for a boy.

* * *

"A Christmas birthday," Sarah mumbled six hours later as they sat admiring their newborn baby.

"Which means the name we picked out is perfect." Chuck said with a smile.

"Because the name literally means 'Born at Christmas'?" Sarah asked with a smile.

"Exactly," Chuck said, taking the baby from his wife and kissing them both on the head.

Christmas Eve, one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking days of the year for children around the world. Christmas day, even more so because of presents and everything else the holiday brings.

Chuck Bartowski's level of excitement this Christmas morning topped his level from five years ago.

Chuck placed a light kiss on his wife's forehead again and then said quietly, "Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, and Welcome to the family Natalie Margaret Bartowski."


End file.
